THE CAR PARK MYSTERY: Deep-ground scans hunt for bodies of five executed criminals buried under Council HQ

A specialist deep-ground radar scan was carried out at the County Hall car park in Carmarthen on Sunday, as researchers attempt to solve a century-old mystery. The site was once the gardens of the former Carmarthen prison, where public executions took place throughout the 1800s.

Convicted Killers and a Forger

The hunt is on for the remains of five men executed between 1818 and 1894. Among those believed to still lie beneath the tarmac are four convicted murderers and one man hanged for forgery.

Using a high-tech digital radar scanner, Shane Gwilt from Leica Geosystems scoured the car park surface to detect any anomalies in the ground that could indicate burial sites.

Specialist Shane Gwilt uses ground‑penetrating radar to scan beneath the County Hall car park in Carmarthen as part of the search for five executed criminals believed to be buried on the former prison site.
(Image: Carmarthenshire Council)

‘A Mystery Worthy of Sherlock Holmes’

The project has been driven by former Mayor of Carmarthen, Richard Goodridge, who has spent two years researching the site’s dark history. He believes it is “unbelievable” that the bodies were not moved when the prison was demolished in the 1930s.

Richard Goodridge said:

“I strongly believe that the remains of these five convicted felons still remain where they were buried after their execution. It is the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle that will lay to rest a mystery that has fascinated Carmarthen residents for over a hundred years. Finding them will bring an end to a mystery worthy of a Sherlock Holmes novel!”

Results Sent to Italy

While the scan has been completed, the findings have now been sent to Italy for expert analysis. The results are expected to be returned within a week, potentially confirming the location of the lost graves.

Cllr Alun Lenny, Cabinet Member for Resources, added:

“The work didn’t disturb the car park surface in any way and was at no cost to the council. But it may add another chapter to the colourful history of Carmarthen as Wales’ oldest town—we await the results with anticipation!”

No Plans to Disturb the Dead

Despite the search, Carmarthenshire County Council has confirmed it has no intention of disturbing or exhuming the remains if they are found. For now, the five men will remain part of the hidden history beneath the feet of council workers and visitors.

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Growing a scanning focused business. How Bruno Mathias de Oliveira of Futuro3D started with one scanner, and grew to become one of the most successful scanning busniesses in Brazil and South America.
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Leica BLK ARC Camera Allows Robots to Better Navigate the World

Leica Geosystems has announced a new reality capture camera device for robots like Boston Dynamics' Spot that is designed to improve autonomous navigation.

Leica Geosystems may use the Leica name and logo, but it hasn't been directly associated with Leica Camera AG in some time and is currently part of Hexagon AB, a publicly traded Swedish global information technology company that specializes in hardware and software digital reality solutions.

So while the Leica BLK ARC is a camera, its system is used to map environments and gives robots the ability to scan environments quickly with a high level of accuracy. Designed for use on robots like Boston Dynamic's Spot, the BLK ARC can quickly and repeatedly capture accurate 3D point clouds and panoramic images of an environment with minimal human intervention. Basically, it allows a robot to "see" and map an environment autonomously.

Our first robotic carrier is the Boston Dynamics Spot robot. BLK ARC combined with Spot creates a fast, simple, safe, and autonomous reality capture workflow. Together, they deliver fully autonomous and repeatable scan missions to capture 3D point clouds and panoramic imagery while Spot carries BLK ARC through an environment.

Specifically with regard to Boston Dynamics' Spot, the dog-like robot carries the BLK ARC through an environment and uses several different camera systems in concert with one another to allow the robot to better navigate its surroundings while simultaneously capturing that data. The combination provides Spot greater autonomy with accurate laser scanning and navigation, enabling humans to then safely build 3D models of any area the robot can go.

In addition to the BLK ARC that currently works with Spot (but is designed to work with any autonomous robot carrier system), Leica Geosystems also launched the BLK2FLY, which is a drone-mounted system and the first flying laser scanning sensor. It allows users to scan structures and environments from the air with extreme accuracy and provides accurate data representations of an area or structure's features and dimensions.

While the Leica brand has typically been associated with photography as an art form by consumers, Leica Geosystems has been carrying that name into the robotics and reality scanning arenas. While both use cameras and sensors, they do so for fascinatingly different purposes. The Leica Geosystems BLK ARC and BLK2FLY will ship on October 28.

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