Body of young man found in Irbid dam, investigation under way

AMMAN — Authorities on Saturday said they were trying to identify a man whose decomposed body was found in a dam in Irbid over the weekend, official sources said.

The victim’s remains were found by police in Zeglab Dam in Irbid, 80km north of Amman, and coroners were called in to inspect the body, a senior official source said.

“Coroners found a badly decomposed body that was mostly skeletal remains and little flesh of a young man who was estimated to be in his 20s,” the official source told The Jordan Times.

Police also found a poisonous substance next to his body that was partially dissolved in water, the source added.

“Most probably the victim took his own life but we are awaiting final autopsy and crime lab results,” he maintained.

A team of pathologists at the Irbid National Institute of Forensic Medicine, headed by Pathologist Ali Shotar, estimated that the man has been dead for 8 to 10 days, a senior medical source said.

“The pathologists sent blood and tissue samples taken from the victim to the crime lab for further analysis,” the medical source told The Jordan Times.

The official said that police are reviewing missing persons reports to try to identify the victim.

“Determining the identity of the victim will surely help officials learn more about the man’s death,” the official source added.