Unanswered Queries Surrounding the Mysterious Death of the Man Trapped Between Fence Panels

A coroner has been unable to determine the cause of death of a man who fell between two fence panels due to the advanced decomposition of his body. The inquest into Lee Bowman's death revealed that it took two months to find his body because the police wrongly assumed he was alive and drunk somewhere. Bowman's family repeatedly told the police that his lack of contact was out of character. Nottinghamshire Police acknowledged that lessons will be learned from the case. Bowman's daughter, Corrina Bowman, stated that the uncertainty surrounding her father's death had a significant impact on her mental health and led to a suicide attempt. The assistant coroner noted that police had shown "unconscious bias" based on Bowman's background and assumed he didn't want to be found due to his history of addiction. The coroner intends to issue a report to the College of Policing to prevent similar incidents in the future. However, the coroner concluded that it was impossible to determine if an earlier discovery of Bowman's body could have saved his life. Corrina Bowman hopes that her father's case will lead to changes in how the police handle missing persons cases, particularly those involving individuals with vulnerabilities such as addiction. Despite the outcome of the inquest, she still has unanswered questions about her father's death. Lee Bowman had a history of mental health issues and substance abuse, and he was an alcoholic and had liver cirrhosis at the time of his death. He was last seen by his family in October 2021, and his body was eventually found in January 2022. The pathologist could not determine the cause of death due to decomposition, although assault was not definitively ruled out. The coroner expressed concern about the unconscious bias demonstrated by the police during the investigation, as they made assumptions based on Bowman's lifestyle. The inquest ended with an open conclusion and the coroner thanked Corrina Bowman for her presence and offered condolences to her. Nottinghamshire Police and South Yorkshire Police have acknowledged the need for lessons to be learned from the case and have implemented changes in their missing persons investigations procedures.