The remains have been linked to a murder probe which saw the discovery of a human torso wrapped in cellophane earlier this month. Police say they have ‘closed the net’ on the killers.
Salford locals have been left horrified as a man’s body parts were found scattered across a woodland, as police say they have ‘closed the net’ on the killers.
The discovery is tied to a murder probe that kicked off when a human torso, wrapped in layers of cellophane, was discovered at Kersal Dale in Salford on April 4. “It’s like something off a TV series,” said a local after human remains were found just around the corner from his house.
A dog walker stumbled upon the package containing human remains at Linnyshaw Colliery Woods, Walkden, on Saturday evening. Just a mile away at Blackleach Reservoir, police divers were about to make another horrifying dsicovery.
Officers quickly sealed off two popular beauty spots as their search teams worked tirelessly through the night. By Sunday morning, Greater Manchester was dotted with four separate police cordons – encompassing a country park, a residential property, a commercial building, and a section of woodland.
The grim finds have sent ripples of fear throughout the community as officers spent 12 days combing through the nature reserve and the adjacent Kersal Wetlands. Despite their efforts, the search was abandoned on April 16 with no additional body parts located and the victim still unidentified, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The investigation saw police revisiting the scene last week, but the search was halted once more when the foul smell that prompted it turned out to be sulphur.
However, two men were arrested earlier this week on suspicion of murder. Officers apprehended a 42-year-old man after storming a bus on Eccles Old Road, in Salford, around midday on Thursday. Later that afternoon, a 68-year-old man was arrested at an address on Worsley Road. The suspects remain in police custody for questioning.
This morning, police expanded their search following “further breakthroughs”, establishing four crime scenes across the region. These included Blackleach Reservoir and nearby Linnyshaw Colliery Wood, as well as a semi-detached property on Worsley Road in the Winton area of Eccles, and a warehouse in Mitchell Street, Bury.
Forensic officers worked throughout the day as police said they were closing “the net” on the perpetrators. Photos showed crime scene officers working in the back garden of the house in Winton earlier, while underwater search teams and police sniffer dogs were spotted at Blackleach Country Park, where a large portion of the park at one end of the reservoir was cordoned off. Officers were seen scouring the woodland.
In an update to reporters at a press conference from the scene at Blackleach Country Park on Sunday evening, Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes revealed that further human remains had been uncovered during the exhaustive search effort. Cops have not revealed which body parts were discovered but confirmed they are linked to the torso found at Kersal Dale.
The deceased is believed to be a Salford man in his 60s, and while he’s yet to be formally identified, his next of kin have been informed of the grim find and are getting help from specialist officers.
A formal ID is expected to happen within the next week. The Greater Manchester Police had earlier mentioned that the man was white and likely of European descent.
Detective Superintendent Hughes said that the victim was probably living in the same digs as the suspects, though they were not related. The man is thought to have died at the Winton house around late March. The investigation remains wide open, but the police are not seeking more suspects at this stage.
He also noted that a Bury warehouse was searched by officers but stressed that “there was no information that anybody who owns or works there is in any way involved in any criminality regarding this offence”.
He revealed: “Today we have found human remains at the reservoir, and last night, a dog walker found a package containing human remains at Linnyshaw Colliery Wood. Forensic tests will continue to establish whose remains they are, but we are very confident that it is the same victim. We have also been searching a house in Winton, where we believe the victim and the two suspects lived. We have found evidence to show the victim died there, most likely in late March.
“While this is significant progress, we know that there is still some way to go to complete this investigation. I also recognise the details of this case will be particularly distressing to the people of Salford, and beyond, and most importantly to the man’s heartbroken family. Local officers will continue to patrol the affected areas and we will provide updates when we have information.”
Det Supt Hughes stated the force is still urging the community to come forward with any suspicious activity they might have noticed around the crime scenes.