A coroner has asked investigators to search for relatives of a West Ham man found dead in a Walthamstow park with multiple injuries.

Vitalijs Grava, 37, was born in Latvia in 1983 and lived in Ash Road – but his body was discovered last August five miles away, in Lloyd Park.

Investigators have so far failed to locate any of his relatives, so they can be informed of his death.

Coroner Nadia Persaud opened an inquest into Mr Grava’s death on the morning of Tuesday, February 15, at the Adult College in Ripple Road, Barking.

Coroner’s officer Brenda Dowsett told the court that park rangers had been informed on August 20 of the discovery of “a body".

Mr Grava was discovered laying down and using a tracksuit top as a pillow.

Police identified him by his passport.

An inspection of his body found he had sustained multiple injuries, including a laceration to the back of his head.

He also had grazed knuckles, a cut to his right ear, an injured elbow and what were believed to be sores around his belly button.

But a post-mortem examination carried out four days after his body was found gave his cause of death as “alcohol and heroin co-toxicity".

“To date, no family members have been traced,” she told the coroner.

Ms Persaud ordered that Mr Grava’s GP turn over his medical records.

She added that if he had been seen in relation to drug or alcohol use in the six months prior to his death, the GP would have to produce a separate report on what actions had been taken.

Ms Persaud also asked for it to be determined whether any drug or alcohol service had been involved with Mr Grava and, if so, that an account of his interactions with that service be obtained.

“I would like further enquiries to be made in relation to family members,” the coroner said. “If they are located, they should be notified of the inquest date.”

A final inquest was scheduled for July 13.