THE mother of a murdered Lithuanian man, whose decomposing remains were found in a ditch in Warfield, died not knowing what happened to her son, an inquest heard.

The 'skeletal remains' of Aivaras Danilevicius, 45, were discovered by workmen clearing overgrown foliage in cornfields backing onto Hawthorn Lane in Warfield on Friday, July 24 last year.

His body had been wrapped in 10 green plastic binliners from his neck to his feet and covered in a yellow and black checked blanket, which was tied at the bottom.

An XL striped cotton jumper was the only item of clothing found.

At an inquest held at Reading Town Hall, senior coroner for Berkshire, Peter Bedford, heard the three men had begun working on site the previous Sunday.

In his police statement, driver Michael Reid, said when the trio had first arrived at the field, it was overgrown with brambles, stinging nettles, small trees and bushes.

He said he had driven his Volvo digger over the patch of land where Mr Danilevicius' body was later found and had cut back some remaining brambles and nettles but 'saw nothing out of the ordinary'.

However on the Friday his colleague called him over to say he had pulled out a piece of tarpaulin that 'looked dodgy'.

They realised underneath were human bones and a skull and called the police.

Mr Bedford said through Interpol, Thames Valley Police were able to liaise with Lithuanian authorities and establish that in 2008, Mr Danilevicius' mother had reported her son as missing, after he had moved to the UK in 2004.

However, she died in May of last year, just two months before his body was found.

Mr Danilevicius' identity was eventually confirmed through a DNA sample matched with his father's.

A post mortem report revealed Mr Danilevicius' had suffered two significant blows to his head, resulting in severe blunt trauma, leading police to launch a murder investigation.

A national appeal was televised on BBC One's Crimewatch in December.

Police recently released information confirming they believe Mr Danilevicius was killed in late summer 2004 and that he had connections in the London's gay community after arriving in the UK.

DC Dale Purcell, from the Major Crime Unit, who is investigating the case, said: "The combination of where the body was discovered and the circumstances, i.e. that the body was dumped in plastic bags, suggests third party involvement."

However pathologist Dr Robert Chapman was unsure whether the blows had been inflicted while Mr Danilevicius was alive or after he had died.

There was no evidence of 'defensive action', to suggest the victim had tried to block the 'assailant'.

Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, Mr Bedford said: "Why would someone go to the trouble of wrapping the body up and depositing it in a remote, rural location? Mr Chapman is being cautious, which we can't be critical of.

"But because of all the injurives that have come to light, this is being treated as an unlawful killing by police and from the remit of my inquiry, I have no doubt he was unlawfully killed.

"The report is not able to confirm if he was dead before he received the blows to the head or after.

"That doesn't explain why explain how he came to be wrapped in plastic bags and a blanket and then dumped."

He added: "I hope this inquest is at least some small solace to his family.

"It is a tragedy his mother died without having any closure about what happened to her son."