A family’s 15-year quest to find a long-lost relative ended in heartbreak when they discovered he died alone sleeping rough in a tent a year ago.
The inquest into the death of Cardon Banfield, 74, in October last year was told he had ‘no next of kin’ – despite his mum, sister and niece all still being alive.
He had lost contact with his family after moving to the UK from his native Saint Vincent in the Caribbean in 1961 at the age of 19.
His niece, Faith Felix, 48, vowed to track him down after her grandmother Doris started reminiscing about him in 2002.
But after researching her family tree in August, she was stunned to receive an email with the tragic news he died on July 5 last year.
Caron Banfield’s neice Faith Felix (pictured left) and his mother Doris Banfield (right). Ms Felix wanted to regain contact with her long-lost uncle, but was devastated to find he died alone in a tent after moving to the UK from Saint Vincent in the Caribbean in 1961
Mr Banfield, who had a wife, Sylvia, and son, Richard, was discovered in a tent near a river in Worcester, where he spent his final years sleeping rough.
His body was so badly decomposed that he could only be identified by his DNA.
He was ‘partially mummified’ when he was found by a passing warden of a local cricket club and it took police three months to formally identify him.
The coroner’s office suspect his body was there for as long as two weeks before he was found.
Now his relatives feel unable to tell his 94-year-old mother – who lives in Trinidad – the awful news out of fear it will be too devastating for her to take.
Ms Felix said: ‘Seeing my mother and grandmother crying and talking about him as I got older, I decided to look for our family members.
‘I tried Red Cross and any site that will search for missing persons including ancestry.com.
‘I looked up records in the UK for deaths and any news that would link me to him. I came up empty handed all the time.
‘But on August 24, while I was on vacation, I received an email from Yasni.co.uk.’
A family portrait of Caron Banfield with his wife Sylvia. He lost touch with his family after coming to the UK on a banana boat from the Caribbean in 1961
Ms Felix says she ‘would have given anything to see or talk to him’, adding: ‘I was really sad that my search ended in finding him dead, I would have given anything to see him or talk to him, for him to meet his mother and siblings to hear his story.
‘We wanted to come to the UK on more than one occasion but with nowhere to go or stay and the expense of the trip, we couldn’t.
‘The way he died was very disturbing and sad.
‘I wish they had tried harder to find his family but I don’t know what information he gave or if he was ever asked.
‘We have not told my grandmother [Mr Banfield’s mother] anything yet, for fear of grief. I hope I can muster the will to tell her before she dies.
‘But we want everyone to know, he has family and was never forgotten and will live on in the hearts of the family.
‘We are planning a mass for him at church and to always remember him on the day he died through a memorial.’
During the inquest into his death in October 2016, an open verdict was recorded by Worcestershire coroner Geraint William, as his cause of death could not be determined.
His family, who still live in Trinidad, had occasionally spoke fondly of him to his neice over the years.
She added: ‘They said he liked fishing.
‘It was around 1960 where he left St Vincent for the first time for the UK on the vessel ‘The Geese’, a ship used to transport bananas, with his cousin Frankie Mascoll.
‘The captain of the ship signed him off so he stayed in the UK. He said he was staying to make himself a better life, that was 1961.
‘He got married to a Jewish lady by the name of Sylvia and they had a son named Richard.’
Homeless campaigner Hugo Sugg (pictured) was contacted by the Banfield family about Caron’s death. He was so moved he has vowed to fight for better services for the homeless. He is pictured laying flowers for him with his mother Lindy Denton
Homelessness campaigner Hugo Sugg, 27, was devastated to learn the man found dead in the tent was Mr Banfield – having known him back in 2014 when he volunteered at the YMCA he was living in.
Having been made homeless at 18 himself and ‘feeling ready to commit suicide every single day’, he is campaigning for ‘Justice for Cardon’, believing he was failed by the authorities.
He organised a vigil to commemorate the anniversary of when his body was found and said it was a ‘pleasant shock’ when the family contacted him.
He told MailOnline: ‘I was so upset when I found out how he died and the condition he was found in.
‘He was so full of life and such a lovely, geniune, down to earth guy.
‘When I realised what had happened the activist in me was like “This is wrong. I’m going to get justice for him” and the rest just felt so sad.’
Mr Sugg, who now lives in London but is from Worcester, claims both West Merica Police and Worcester City Council say they ‘had no record of Cardon Banfield’.
But he says they ‘must have’ because he was registered on housing benefit and arrested for being drunk and disorderly in 2002.
He is currently working on his second ‘safeguarding duty review’ into Mr Banfield’s death after his first was rejected last year.
He added: ‘We have to remember that this family is now grieving for loss of a brother, son, uncle and husband and they deserve peace at this time.
‘For the ones in authority who let Cardon down in the months running up to his discovery, including Worcester City Council.
‘I hope his family’s grief pricks your conscience so much that you will now come out from the shadows you’ve been hiding in and finally make yourself, and your organisation, accountable.
‘I promise we will get justice and today I’m proud to say, this is one step closer.’
MailOnline has approached Worcester City Council for comment.
Hugo Sugg (pictured) , 27, wants to raise awareness about homelessness and changing attitudes towards rough sleeping