Seventeen-year-old
Gareth Jones, from Gloucester, was found on the A417 Barnwood bypass
in the early hours of Saturday January 24.
He
had suffered serious head injuries and died later in hospital. Police
believe he had been lying in the road and was run over, but there
is still confusion over what happened to Gareth.
Gareth's
father, David, spoke to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Gloucestershire about the steps his
family are taking to try and discover the truth about what happened
to his son.
The
awful truth
“I
was working in London when I found out about Gareth by telephone
at 4.55am on the Saturday morning. The police called me to say that
Gareth had died and my whole world just fell apart.
 |
Gareth
hoped to work in forensics |
“Shock
was my first reaction and the police told me to wait until they
sent a police car for me but I drove back from Gatwick to home.
"During
the drive I was numb and it was total disbelief. I expected to get
home and see him in the front room, it just wasnÂ’t real."
On
his journey home David drove back via the A417 but the road was
closed.
He
said, "I could see police in the road and I automatically knew
exactly where it had happened even though I hadnÂ’t been told."
It's
been nearly eight weeks since Gareth's death and David says the
only thing helping him cope is keeping busy.
"The
weeks since his death havenÂ’t really helped, but keeping busy
does. I'm doing something active, going round the area hanging up
posters, searching for information on what happened that night."
Theories
The
original police theory was that Gareth died when he fell off the
footbridge going over the A417, but
police and forensic experts canÂ’t find any proof as to why
Gareth died.
I
was working in London when I found out about Gareth by telephone
at 4.55am on the Saturday morning. The police called me to say
that Gareth had died and my whole world just fell apart.
 |
David
Jones |
According
to David, "ThereÂ’s no forensic evidence at the scene at
all and they canÂ’t work out what happened.
"TheyÂ’ve
now discounted the theory that he came off the bridge, and it definitely
happened on the road. But as there were no impact marks to his legs
he had to be in the road when it happened.
"A
lot of the bridge theory came from the media but the police discounted
it when they worked out the velocities youÂ’d have to travel
at to hit that point in the road. Gareth definitely had to be in
the road when it happened because the first impact marks are to
his ribs."
Poster
campaign
David
is currently distributing posters around the city hoping that someone
will come forward with new information.
"I'm
keeping busy with this campaign as the fear is that we may never
know what happened. That's why IÂ’m appealing to anybody with
any information no matter how small to come forward.
"The
worst thing is not knowing. You go over all the different scenarios
trying to work out what happened. Deep down IÂ’ve got to believe
it was an accident but at the moment we donÂ’t know whether
it was an accident or something else happened.
Deep down IÂ’ve got to believe it
was an accident but at the moment we donÂ’t know whether
it was an accident or something else happened.  |
David
Jones |
"The
trouble is even though the police have been great, they can't take
it any further unless someone comes forward with more information."
Sadly
David says he will never use the A417 road again and goes out of
his way not to travel on the road where his son died.
His
main concern now is that his family receive an answer to the mystery
of his son's death.
"I
just want answers not only to how he died but also what happened
to him in the last few hours of his life. Somebody has the answer
and IÂ’m not after revenge I just need to know the truth.
“You
always think it never happens to you it always happens to somebody
else but now reality has hit us. The normal order is we bury our
grandparents and our children bury us, and this should never have
happened.
"Gareth
had such a bright future ahead of him and we are devastated."
Anybody
with any information is asked to call Gloucestershire Police on:
0845 090 1234 or The Citizen: 01452 420621.
Article
by Nat Hall
Read
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