THREE questions still remain unanswered after the gamer’s remains were found at a UK beauty spot six years since he vanished without a trace.
The 33-year-old’s body was found in a cave last month, six years after he was reported missing by family who discovered the PlayStation was left running in his flat.
Media WalesJordan Moray, 22, went missing in July 2019[/caption]
AthenaSouth Wales Police received reports of human remains discovered near the Llwyn-onn Reservoir in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park last month[/caption]
But there are three clues that could help in the mystery of how the avid gamer and hiker vanished.
Jordan Moray’s remains were found in a cave by a walker in the Brecon Beacons, South Wales on August 29.
This was just a few hundred yards from where search parties went looking for him in 2019.
What was found with Jordan’s remains
His rucksack contained a pack of peanuts, tin of tuna and £100 in bank notes in his rucksack, along side a survival kit.
Jordan was reported missing from his home in Aberdare, after his family went to his flat find the door unlocked and PlayStation console still on.
He had also left his phone there on charge.
Parents Debbie and Adrian, along with brother Josh have issued several desperate appeals over the years holding onto hope someone would come forward with information on Jordan’s whereabouts.
But they can finally rest with the discovery of his body at the national park.
Following a post-mortem examination, police have confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious.
But there are still questions that remain as to how Jordan went missing, and why he was not found sooner.
Retired SAS solider Jason Birch, 53, has grown close to the Moray family after he helped in the search efforts, and is still uncertain with how the case has concluded.
He said: “Some things just don’t sit right with me.”
As a lover of the outdoors, it was not usual for the adventurer and former Welsh champion boxer’s to complete a 20-mile hike in a day.
So some other circumstances around the hiker’s disappearance are therefore still concerning for Birch, such as how Jordan’s flat was left with the gaming console still running and phone on charge.
South Wales PoliceJordan was an experienced hiker in the Brecon Beacon’s area[/caption]
He was also a fit, experienced hiker and knew the Brecon Beacon’s well, which is how they came to know each other.
Birch added: “If there is a suggestion he may have harmed himself, why would he take a survival kit?”
Just six weeks before disappearing, Jordan had taken part in the Fan Dance, a gruelling 24km SAS selection test march over the highest peak in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park – Pen y Fan.
The green shirt competitors are given in the event was found with his remains.
After Birch took investigating Jordan’s disappearance into his own hands, such as speaking to neighbours and organising public search parties with parts of the Beacons sectioned off, he ruled out the possibility of an abduction.
“So to me, it looked as if he left of his own accord. He wanted to get away for a while,” Birch said.
A Facebook group was set up by Birch and accumulated more than 6,000 members to help share information.
In a post, Birch said Jordan was: “Determined, adventurous but didn’t really like crowds and could be described as a bit of a loner.”
Small teams regularly went out to scour the area, until Jordan’s body was eventually found in at the Llwyn-onn reservoir by a walker last month.
This was just next to the busy A470 connecting South and North Wales, so his family would have passed the reservoir plenty of times over the years amid searches.
In a plea for information from 2022, Debbie wrote: “Jordan is independent and always keeps himself to himself. He’s pretty quiet really.
“He loves the outdoor life – he would phone me and ask me to pick up a couple of disposable barbecues and a steak.
“He’d meet me and he’d go up the mountain and eat it up there, for hours and hours.”
CCTV footage captured
A £6,000 reward for information was also offered as specialist teams scoured the mountains and waterways, and police sifted through hours of footage.
A breakthrough came eventually came from July 24, 2019, with CCTV footage that seemed to show Jordan had grown a light beard, as was buying a bottle of water with a lottery game card at the Premier shop in Bro Deg, Cwmbach.
The video was timestamped 11.26am just a short distance from Jordan’s home, and his last confirmed sighting.
Between then and when Jordan was formally reported missing to police on August 2, there had been no contact from the hiker with his loved ones.
On August 1, mother Debbie went to his flat out of concern, but there was no response when she knocked on the door, rang the bell and banged on the window.
Media WalesJordan’s death is not being treated as suspicious by police[/caption]
She returned the following day and tried the back door, which she discovered was unlocked.
Many parts of the scene that was left were “suspicious”, according to a post written by Mr Birch at the time.
He wrote on August 11, 2019: “Flat external door left closed but unlocked. Mobile phone on charge. Cash left. Food shopping untouched from last seen. Wallet present. Walking equipment present.
“There are items that are missing but cannot be positively verified. For example, the following: Black backpack, headtorch, camping burner, black trainers.”
It appeared Jordan had taken some equipment with him for a hike, but not enough to live off for a few days or weeks.
He also did not own a car or have a driving license, so the discovery of his body 10 miles away from his home adds some questions.
Mystery over witness sightings
Ten weeks following Jordan’s disappearance, South Wales Police received an anonymous letter from someone who believed they may have heard shouts of “help me” from the hiker the night before he went missing.
Police read out the letter on a Channel 5 series they did on the case nearly four years later, called Vanished.
It said: “I saw a Land Rover parked up on curb near a comprehensive school.
“Not thinking I walked past it.
‘It was dark and quiet up until I reached 100 yards. I heard rustling in wasteland behind rocks and boulders by the school.
“Then I heard someone shout: ‘If there’s anyone out there, help me!’
“First I thought boys messing about – always youngsters driving round early hours of the morning up to no good.
“But I heard someone shout out again: ‘Help me!’
“I’ve been thinking of that night ever since.”
The sender said they were walking their dogs between 2am and 3.30 in the area after not being able to sleep.
They asked not to be contacted, despite pleas from South Wales Police to get in touch.
Another development came in September 2020, when a man told police he was “confident” he saw Jordan 100 miles in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
A man he believes to be Jordan approached and said he had been sleeping rough while living off the grid, and was about to visit his brother.
Following this sighting, police revealed brother Josh had doorbell footage that may have been Jordan visiting.
However, officers were unable to use face recognition technology as the person in the footage appeared to be covered in camouflage pain, although they agreed with the family they had “similarity” to Jordan.
Further sightings have been alleged, but none confirmed.
Debbie said at the time: “Me and my husband go up there [to Stratford] and we just walk around for hours and hours. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack but we keep doing it.
“We put posters up there – wherever we go we put up posters. But it could be somebody who just looks like Jordan and I understand that.”
It is still a mystery as to how Jordan’s body was not found sooner around the Llwyn-onn reservoir, as it is a popular spot for walkers cyclists and anglers, particularly in the summer.
Despite not treating the death as suspicious, police issued a statement earlier which said: “His disappearance was completely out of character and it sparked immediate concern among family, friends and police.”
Jordan’s family have been able to find some “closure” with discovery of his body, even though there are still questions that remain and his death has been left them “heartbroken”.
His brother posted an emotional tribute yesterday, which described Jordan as “my best friend”, and added “my heart is lost without you”.
Jordan’s mother also posted a tribute, writing: ‘Devastating news after six years and never giving up hope.’
The family are now hoping an inquest to answer some of the unresolved questions as to how their fit and healthy boy who knew the area went missing for more than six years and died.
WNSHuge searches for Jordan failed for more than six years[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
