in one of the series' most famous exits, den - who just hours earlier had escaped after members of the firm had intercepted the taxi taking him to court - was shot as he walked by the canal by a member of the firm, who was walking with a woman and had a gun hidden in a bunch of daffodils. three weeks later, spots of blood were found on the canal towpath and the police identified this as den's blood, and believed that he had been murdered. however, an initial search of the canal failed to uncover his body. in april 1990, a local boy was fishing in the canal when he discovered den's distinctive signet ring, prompting another search of the canal which this time uncovered a body which was identified as den's.