Police have identified two suspects in the cold case murder of a miner whose remains were found 56 years after he disappeared – but both are dead.

Father-of-six Alfred Swinscoe’s bones were unearthed in a farmer’s field 16 months ago, five miles from the pub where he was last seen on the night of January 27, 1967. 

The remains were identified after Mr Swinscoe’s grandson, Russell Lowbridge who was aged four at the time, responded to a police appeal to say he recognised a pair of patterned socks found with the bones, as clothing he had seen as a child.

Nottinghamshire Police issued a fresh appeal for information about the death yesterday and said officers believe Mr Swinscoe was murdered and then buried in a grave between 4ft and 6ft deep.

He had a ‘significant’ stab injury, blunt force trauma to parts of his body and a broken hand – which could have been sustained while fighting off his attacker or attackers.

Police have identified two now dead suspects in relation to the death of miner Alfred Swinscoe

Mr Swinscoe’s grandson Russell Lowbridge with daughter Julie. Mr Lowbridge responded to a police appeal to say he recognised a pair of patterned socks found with the bones that he had seen as a child

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Rob Griffin added: ‘During our investigation we have identified two potential suspects which under normal circumstances if Alfred had been murdered today, would have been arrested and brought in for questioning.

‘We don’t have that opportunity as they are no longer alive.

‘We will continue to investigate this crime and continue to look at all new and existing avenues available to us.’ 

One of the suspects had a history of violence, police added.

Some of the injuries the suspect had inflicted on another man he was convicted of assaulting in April 1966, were similar to those found on Mr Swinscoe.

Mr Swinscoe vanished after giving his son Gary cash to buy a round at his local, the Pinxton Miners Arms in the Derbyshire village of the same name, and then leaving to use the outside loo.

Some of the bones were missing from the burial site at Sutton-in-Ashfield, five miles away over the Nottinghamshire border. Experts believe it was ‘highly likely’ Mr Swinscoe was killed at a different location, and then moved to the farmer’s field ‘at a much later date’.

ACC Griffin admitted detectives may ‘never get the full picture’ of what happened to Mr Swinscoe.

He said: ‘That certainly hasn’t stifled our determination to investigate this crime and leave no stone unturned to find his killer or killers.

Mr Swinscoe’s remains were unearthed in a farmer’s field 16 months ago, five miles from the pub where he was last seen on the night of January 27, 1967

A picture of Alfred Swinscoe (sitting on the step) with his daughter Julie sitting on the motorbike with grandson Russell 

‘Alfred died in the most horrendous way imaginable. Not only did he suffer violent injuries, but he was then buried in a field so that no one would find him.

‘What makes this crime even more distressing is that it has taken more than 50 years for his remains to be found and for his family to be reunited with their loved one so he can have a proper burial.

‘As time goes by, loyalties change, and we would ask those who have more information about Alfred’s death to please come forward and do the right thing and help this grieving family get the closure they desperately need and deserve.’ 

Mr Lowbridge previously told the BBC that the disappearance had ‘tormented’ Gary, who died in 2012 ‘never knowing what happened to his Dad’.

Mr Swinscoe’s cause of death will be determined by a pathologist ahead of an inquest. He was laid to rest in Sutton-in-Ashfield in January.