Ep 290: The Body on the Moor Part 2

“You never tire of the moor. You cannot think the wonderful secrets which it contains. It is so vast, and so barren, and so mysterious”

— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Description:

The authorities may have finally learned of the man on the moor's identity, yet, as they say, this only raised many more questions than his real name answered. As police questioned his family, his neighbors, service providers, and even an ex-girlfriend, a picture of a pretty peculiar man emerged. "Neil Dovestone" went by the name David Lytton. However, even his legal name was perhaps a privacy screen to hide his emotions and past behind, as his given name was David Keith Lautenberg. Described as a kind and conscientious man, Lytton also led a very ascetic and minimalist lifestyle, adding to the mystery of his mindset. Those who knew him in England, even his partner at the time, Maureen Toogood, had no idea he had quietly moved to Pakistan after abruptly cutting off contact to live there for several years. Even with more pieces to the puzzle now in place, there's still no clue as to what led him to where he chose to end everything and why. Was it solely his doing, or was someone else involved? What seems likely is that his body was staged postmortem so it would be found in a more peaceful pose. Although you may think this story is "Case Closed," the official status from the UK courts is that it's still an "Open Conclusion." Join us once again for Part 2 as we learn more about a man whose life was as much of an enigma as his death.

Reference Links:

• “Saddleworth Moor mystery man identified” from BBC News

• “Saddleworth Moor mystery man changed name after family feud” from The Guardian

• “Body on the Moor” from BBC News

• Body on the Moor podcast series from BBC Radio 4 on Spotify

• Body on the Moor podcast series from BBC Radio 4 on Apple Podcasts

• “Tribute to Maureen Toogood, 1947 - 2020” – maureentoogood.muchloved.com

• The North York Moors Historic Environment Record (HER) archaeological index for the National Park area

• The Bogle

• “'A lovely man': The woman who dated the Man on the Moor” from BBC News

• “Dovestone reservoir death riddle man is not grandad Hugh Toner who vanished 20 years ago” from the Manchester Evening News

• “Mystery of Saddleworth Moor: video shows 'loner' in a different light” from The Guardian

• Astonishing Legends’ “Ep 197: Mrs. Hingley and the Mince Pie Aliens plus Listener Stories”

• “Proms – The World’s Greatest Classical Music Festival” – www.bbc.co.uk/proms

• David Lytton

• “Body on the Moor” podcast series from BBC Radio 4 – Sounds

• Dovestone Reservoir

• “Dovestone Reservoir and Chew Reservoir Circular” on AllTrails.com

• Dovestone and Chew Reservoirs on AA Rated Trips

• Chew Valley

• Congresbury Yeo

• Strychnine

• Strychnine poisoning

• “Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries” from the NIH National Library of Medicine

• “Facts about Strychnine” from the CDC

• Urdu

• Ian Brady and Myra Hindley and “The Moors Murders”

• James Platt MP (1823 - 1857) on WikiTree.com

• The Clarence pub, Chew Valley Rd, Greenfield, Oldham, England www.the-clarence.co.uk

• Manchester, England, United Kingdom — Sunrise, Sunset, and Daylength, December 2015

• Euston railway station

• “Dakota Air Crash Near Oldham (1940-1949)” on the British Pathé YouTube channel

• “Plane crash survivor makes poignant first return to Saddleworth site” from the Saddleworth Independent

• “Bill O’ Jacks Murders” on Dove Stone Heritage – A Ranger’s View

• “The Bill O’ Jacks Murders” from Mysterious Britain & Ireland

• “27 Killed in Plane Crashes” from the Greensburg Daily Tribune - Aug 19, 1949

Location:

The approximate location where the body of David Lytton, dubbed “Neil Dovestone” by forensic technicians, was found next to Chew Track on Saddleworth Moor.

Suggested Listening:

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CREDITS:

Episode 290: The Body on the Moor Part 2. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound. Music and Sound Design by Allen Carrescia. Tess Pfeifle, Producer and Lead Researcher. Ed Voccola, Technical Producer. Research Support from The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2024 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.