As a kid, I was obsessed with the Rob Reiner film Stand By Me, which involves a group of “misfit” best friends embarking on a journey to go see a dead body. As an adult looking back, it is such a wild concept and one that would surely leave a pre-teen emotionally scarred. Unfortunately, a little girl in the UK had a far less whimsical encounter when she reportedly discovered a dead body on her school’s property.
People reported that West Midlands Police confirmed in a statement that the 11-year-old ran across the remains of a 45-year-old man who was “found with injuries on the grounds of Smestow Academy” in Wolverhampton, England, and was declared dead at the scene.
“We are currently treating his death as unexplained, and officers are reviewing CCTV footage from around the area to establish exactly what happened,” the statement read.
The statement further detailed that the man was last seen nearby at 1 a.m. January 19, 2026, and was found on the school’s property later that morning, around 7:15. The man was last seen wearing a “distinctive camouflage jacket, grey gilet, jeans, and a beanie hat. He was also carrying a red rucksack and may have been wearing sunglasses.”
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Poole of the Homicide Unit urged the public not to rush to conclusions. “We are in the early stages of our investigation, and I would ask that people do not speculate on the circumstances. We know this has caused concern in the community and there will be extra officers in the area for reassurance,” People reported.
The father of the young girl who discovered the body told The Telegraph she was “really shaken up” by the entire event.
“My daughter phoned her mom up, screaming, and told her that she found a dead body by the goal posts on the field,” he told the outlet. “She’s only 11 years of age. They went out for P.E. and it was very foggy this morning.”
The school was shut down at the request of authorities. People also reported that the school released a statement on Facebook addressing the concerns of the community and parents that has since been taken down.
“As you will be aware, Police told us to close school today because of an incident unconnected with Smestow Academy,” the school reportedly wrote, per People. “As reported on Wolverhampton Police’s Facebook page, a body was found at the edge of the grounds and ‘enquiries are now underway to confirm the man’s identity and the circumstances around his death…Police asked us to close so they could make headway with their investigation.”
School officials were given the all-clear to return January 20.
In the official police statement, Poole called upon the community for aid. “Anyone who may have seen the victim in the early hours of this morning is urged to get in touch with us,” he said.
