Ref. 72717-33 Detective Inspector James Vaughan addresses a press conferenceTHE BODY of a 44-year-old father of three from Swindon is to be exhumed following fears that he may have died in suspicious circumstances.

Stephen Smith, an electrical engineer, will be exhumed from the cemetery in South Gloucestershire where he was buried in June.

Following an initial police investigation and post mortem held into his sudden death on June 15, it was concluded that he died from natural causes.

But three weeks after the burial at St Lawrence's Church, Chipping Sodbury, several people contacted the Wiltshire coroner's office with fresh information about his death.

Investigations by an eight strong team of detectives during which several people were interviewed failed to shed any light on the cause of death.

Yesterday, Swindon police announced they were taking the unusual step of exhuming the body for a second post-mortem.

Detective Inspector James Vaughan, who is leading the investigation, said: "At this stage of the inquiry, it has become necessary for a second post-mortem to determine the precise cause of Mr Smith's death.

"Information available to the first pathologist is different to what we know now, and I'm sure there may be a different conclusion.

"I would hate to speculate on the outcome, but we are not ruling anything out.

"This is a difficult and particularly distressing option, and we wouldn't carry it out if it was not absolutely necessary."

Police are not revealing the nature of the new information, or the cause of death as it stands.

In a death notice placed in the Evening Advertiser, Mr Smith, of Hudson Way, Haydon Wick, was described as a 'caring husband' a 'devoted father'.

He was married to Sybille, and had three children Andrew, Stephy and Jenny.

The notice went on: "Steve will be missed but never forgotten by all his nieces, nephews and friends."

Exhumation are rare procedures.

The cemetery will be sealed off while it is carried out under a tent on Thursday, October 28.

Prayers will be said at the graveside before the coffin is removed and taken to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, for tests by a Home Office pathologist.

The body will be removed at 7am, and police are expecting it to be returned the same day, when an interment service will be held.

DI Vaughan paid tribute to Mr Smith's family for their cooperation during a distressing time.

"The family are finding it difficult to come to terms with the prospect of an exhumation.

"They do not like it, and don't want it to happen.

"But they fully support it because it is necessary to bring a conclusion to what has become an unexplained death."

A former neighbour of Mr Smith, Sharon Buchanan of Haydon Wick, said: "Five weeks ago the police came round to interview myself and other neighbours. It is horrible to think the body will be exhumed."

Another neighbour said she believed the Smiths had been living in Saudi Arabia before their move to Swindon. She added that Mr Smith's wife and family had moved away since his death.

Earlier this year, Wiltshire Constabulary oversaw the exhumation of the body of heroin addict Rachel Whitear near Hereford.

It was carried out by Wiltshire police because the 21-year-old's family expressed concerns about the original inquiry into her death by police in Devon.

Tamash Lal