Locate International, a charity that reviews cold cases of missing and unidentified people, has reopened appeals over a man and a woman whose bodies were found at the foot of Dover’s cliffs 20 years apart and who have never been named.
A charity is asking anyone who lived in, worked in or visited Dover in 1980 or 2000 to help identify two people who were found dead at the foot of the town’s cliffs.
Locate International says there is no known connection between the two cases, but neither person has ever been conclusively identified. Because their names are not known, the charity refers to them as Shakespeare Cliff Man and Dover Woman.
Shakespeare Cliff Man, October 1980
On 7 October 1980 the body of a man was found on the beach at the foot of Shakespeare Cliff, just south of the Port of Dover.
He is described as white European in appearance, aged about 30 to 45, around 6ft 5in (198cm) tall and of slim build, with curly, dark brown, shoulder-length hair. His eye colour is unknown. His fingers were stained, which the charity believes was from smoking.
He was wearing a beige Marks & Spencer “St Michael” jacket, a V-neck jumper, grey trousers and blue “Oscar” underpants. Locate International has released a facial reconstruction of how he may have looked.
Dover Woman, August 2000
On 10 August 2000 a woman’s body was found at the base of the Langdon Cliffs at Fan Bay, just north-east of Dover town, on the coastal walk between the National Trust visitor centre and South Foreland Lighthouse. The charity says it is suspected that she fell from the cliff above, as her belongings were found at the top.
She is described as white European in appearance, aged about 35 to 45, around 5ft 4in tall and of slender build, with short black hair and green or brown eyes. She had a 19cm abdominal scar from earlier surgery for an ovarian cyst.
She was wearing black tights, flat-heeled Chelsea boots, a short black pinstripe skirt, a black and blue jacket, a black belt with a yellow buckle, a black polyester bodysuit, a black shirt and a black “bikers” hat.
Items found with her included a pearl necklace, a “Limit” watch, £60, tourist information about Oxford, six rings including two entwined gold bands (none worn on her wedding-ring finger), and a handbag with the name “Christina May” written inside.
How you can help
Locate International is asking people to consider these questions:
- Did you live, work or regularly visit Dover or Shakespeare Cliff around October 1980? Do you remember hearing about an unidentified man found below Shakespeare Cliff at the time, or does his description or clothing remind you of someone who disappeared or was unexpectedly absent around then?
- Were you in Dover or on the cliffs on 10 August 2000? Did you see this woman or her belongings, perhaps on a train or bus or in the Dover area, or did she stay with you, perhaps in the Oxford or Dover areas? Did you see anyone in the area acting in an unusual way?
- Does the name “Christina May” mean anything to you?
Mark Greenhalgh, chief executive of Locate International, said: “While these two cases are separated by twenty years, both represent the same sad reality: two people whose identities remain unknown, and two mysteries left unanswered. We hope that by bringing these cases back into the public eye, someone will recognise something and help us give these individuals their names back.”
Key information
- Contact Locate International (confidential): email appeals@locate.international or call 0300 102 1011
- Website: locate.international/appeals
- The charity: Locate International is a registered UK charity, number 1197991
Sources
- Locate International, media and appeal information pack: “Two decades apart, two unanswered cases on Dover’s coast” (embargoed to 08:00, 1 October 2026), supplied to Kent Local News
- Locate International: Appeals