Mystery as IT expert missing for 20 years found dead by gardener in overgrown bushes with multiple broken bones

AN IT expert who was missing for 20 years was found dead with broken bones in an overgrown bush – but how he died remains a mystery.

A gardener stumbled across Russell Scozzi’s skeletal remains when he was clearing brambles and weeds in a woodland behind his house.

“Gifted” former graphic designer Russell was 44 when he vanished in 2002, last seen at a bus station in Swansea, Wales.

His disappearance baffled cops, and before going missing he had quit his high-paying job at an IT firm without explanation.

Russell had travelled extensively and spoke French and German fluently, but his wallet and passport were found at home

In 2023, a resident found “skeletal remains” with multiple broken bones by his house in Mumbles – a 15 minute drive from the bus station.

An inquest heard the married dad-of-two had to be identified using dental records.

Blue sheeting and clothing were also discovered around a mile from the IT expert’s former home.

It also heard he had a secret drug addiction and could have been abducted by dealers over a £16,000 debt – but police found no evidence of this.

Detective Sergeant Sara Herbert “There was nothing to support the theory he’d been abducted. It was rumour and conjecture.”

Despite a post-mortem, no definitive cause of death could be determined.

Speaking after his body was found, Russell’s sister Danielle Owens said: “My heart goes out to Russell’s children who have grown up without their father and never really knowing what happened to him.

“I dearly loved Russell. He was my big brother who I always looked up to when I was growing up.

“Finally, we can be given the opportunity to grieve him properly.”

She said that his disappearance had become “more difficult” over time.

“It’s disbelief – you feel detached as if it’s happening to someone else.

“As time goes on, it becomes more real and more difficult to deal with. Not knowing is indescribable.

“You think every day that he is going to turn up. Every day gets harder.”