A peculiar tattoo and a new computerised image could help police crack a four-decades-old mystery and give closure to a former detective still desperate to solve the case.
An unidentified man - believed to be using an alias - was struck and killed by a train in Sydney’s inner west between Stanmore and Newtown on the afternoon of April 14, 1981.
Almost 43 years later, police have released a computerised image and a photo of the man's distinctive tattoos in the hope of identifying him.
Following a 2021 cold case review, a fingerprint analyst identified the man as possibly being Osvaldo Perez, born in 1955 and living in a boarding house in Fairfield East.
The then-25-year-old was believed to be either a labourer or boilermaker but detailed investigations in Australia and abroad have failed to establish any such person existed.
While there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, police have been unable to identify the man and notify his family.
He was arrested at Cabramatta on New Year’s Day in 1981 for drink driving but investigators believe he gave false details.
Detective Inspector Ben Kennis says the man might have been from Spain or Greece but there's no record of him entering or leaving Australia.
Retired inspector George Georgiou has been troubled by the mystery since the file landed on his desk as a young constable.
"I vividly remember going to Newtown railway station on the day of his death and speaking to a number of people on the platform who noticed him," he said on Wednesday.
"He was very, very nervous, very irrational, speaking to himself and then all of a sudden, he just slipped in front of the train."
Mr Georgiou said he did everything possible to give the man a name.
"He had no identification, not a driver's licence or healthcare card or anything," he said.
The man was never reported missing and given a pauper's funeral attended only by Mr Georgiou and cemetery staff.
"How sad it would be that he was ... just given a number," the ex-inspector said.
"I'd hate that being one of my relatives."
Tattoo artists are also helping detectives in a bid to identify the unknown man.
His left thigh carried an image of a woman wearing a bikini and holding a bunch of flowers, as well as an eye and the words "Eulrlia" and "Stevios". Their origin is possibly Greek or Spanish.
He also had a rose on his left shoulder blade.
The man was of Latino appearance, 176cm tall and aged 25-30. He had a medium build, olive complexion, black curly collar-length hair and a black moustache. He spoke with an accent.
It is believed he had links to Fairfield’s Romanian community.
A TIMELINE:
January 1, 1981: The man is arrested at Cabramatta for drink driving but apparently gave false details.
April, 14: He is fatally struck by the train. He was without ID but carrying a $20 note, gold-coloured Aseikon watch and a weekly rail ticket.
Witnesses say he was "very nervous, very irrational" and suddenly slipped in front of the train.
April, 1982: The man is given a pauper's funeral.
2021: A fingerprint analyst concludes he may be Fairfield East boarding house resident Osvaldo Perez but records show no such person existed.
January 17, 2024: Police release a computerised image and a photo of the man's distinctive tattoos.
Detective Inspector Ben Kennis says the man may have been Spanish or Greek but there is no record of him entering or leaving Australia.
