Missing gamer found dead in cave six years after disappearance may have suffered 'violent or unnatural death', coroner says

A coroner has said a missing gamer found dead in a cave six years after his disappearance may have suffered a 'violent or unnatural death', after skeletal remains were located in the Brecon Beacons.

Jordan Moray, from South Wales, vanished from his Aberdare home in July 2019 while wearing army-style camouflage and carrying a rucksack containing packets of nuts, a tin of tuna and £100 in bank notes. He was last seen on July 24, 2019, at a Premier shop in Bro Deg, Cwmbach, where he bought a small bottle of water and what appeared to be a lottery game card. Police confirmed CCTV of that sighting as the last officially recorded image of him. At the time, his door was left unlocked, the television was on, his PlayStation console was running and his mobile phone was on charge when he disappeared.

The skeletal remains were found by a member of the public in a cave in the Brecon Beacons, not far from the areas search teams had checked in 2019. Identification was confirmed by dental records. Coroner Andrew Morse said Moray had been a high‑risk missing person from August 2019 and that while the exact cause remained uncertain, he suspected the death was 'violent or unnatural'. He extended his condolences to Moray's family.

Retired special forces soldier Jason Birch, 53, who helped co‑ordinate the search and grew close to the family, said there were questions about why it took six years to locate the body. 'There are a number of things I’m unhappy with, including why it took so long for Jordan’s body to be found,' he said. 'It looked like he had left his home in an immediate fashion and that is concerning. His games console was running and his mobile phone on charge. Jordan, from Aberdare, disappeared without a trace on July 24, 2019. His skeletal remains were found in a cave last month by a walker in the Brecon Beacons.' Birch noted that police had released doorbell footage of the man they believed to be Jordan, but face recognition could not be used because of camouflage on the face. 'If there is a suggestion he may have harmed himself, why would he take a survival kit? He was very experienced, and he knew the Brecon Beacons well.'

Six weeks before his disappearance, Moray took part in the Fandance, a 24-kilometer march up Pen y Fan, the high point of the area now known as the Brecon Beacons. A green T-shirt issued to finishers was found with his remains. Birch said he and his team had organized public search parties, including a large Facebook group that drew more than 6,000 members, to help locate him. He added that if Moray had been a member of his family, he would want more answers about what happened and why it took so long to find him.

Moray’s mother, Debbie Moray, has spoken publicly in recent weeks, saying her son is loved and missed every day and that each day feels like a nightmare she hopes will end with his return. 'Each day is agony, and I am clinging to the hope that one day he will walk through the door again,' she said. 'We continue to search the places we believe Jordan might be, and no matter the reason he left, we are here for him.'

The case gained renewed public attention after Moray’s disappearance was featured on the Channel 5 series Vanished, hosted by Dan Walker, who noted the unusual circumstances of a missing man with a still-running games console and a phone on charge.

A South Wales Police spokesman said on the record that, on Friday, August 29, 2025, officers received a report of human remains in a remote area near Llwyn On Reservoir in the Brecon Beacons, and it has since been confirmed that those remains are Jordan Moray, who was reported missing in July 2019 from Cwmbach, Aberdare.