Homeless shelter Missing man’s body wasn’t discovered for a week

N investigation is under way after a man died at a Bristol homeless shelter and his body was not discovered for aweek, despite his family reporting him missing to the charity running the hostel and to the police.

- Tristan CORK

Zaid Jawad, whose death at Logos House in late December 2025, is being investigated by police

Avon and Somerset Police has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) over the circumstances surrounding the death of Zaid Jawad, whose body was discovered at Logos House, the Salvation Army hostel in Bristol, on Saturday.

His family said they were shocked to be told Zaid, 40, had actually died in the hostel - in another resident’s room - and that resident continued to live there, coming and going with Zaid’s body in his room, despite hostel staff and police being alerted to his disappearance, for almost a week.

Two men were arrested but have since been released on police bail and no one has been charged, as police continue to look into the circumstances of Zaid’s death.

Zaid had been living at Logos House over Christmas, but his two sisters Dina and Tegan reported him missing to the Salvation Army on Sunday, December 28, after they could not contact him. The following day the Salvation Army reported him missing to the police, but it appears the hostel - which houses up to 93 people - was not searched.

It wasn’t until Saturday, January 3 - six days after he was reported missing - that CCTV was checked in more detail and revealed that Zaid hadn't left the hostel and was last seen going into another resident’s room on the previous Saturday evening, and not coming out.