Investigators swooped on the Borstal Recreation Ground in Rochester, Kent, after the London Metropolitan Police launched a murder probe following a grim discovery dozens of miles away
Human remains were found stuffed inside an abandoned suitcase near a children’s’ park, that was hosting a teddy bear hunt.
Police rushed to Borstal Recreation Ground in Rochester, Kent, last Friday, after the grim discovery, which left parents and guardians shocked as they attended a teddy bear hunt with their children. One woman in the park at the time described the moment she attempted to prevent children from seeing the scene after she was alerted by the sheer number of insects causing an audible buzzing around the case, which she saw before spotting attending officers.
Investigators have since revealed that two men have been arrested after the remains of a man were found inside the case, and that police had descended on the park while assisting the Metropolitan police with a murder investigation dozens of miles away.
Speaking to Kent Online, the unnamed woman said she had been at the park attending a teddy bear hunt organised as a fundraising event for a local nursery when she saw the cloud of flies emanating from the case. She said she had seen the flies first, streaming from the case in a wooded area, before she saw the police.
She said: “I saw the luggage before the police. I was with my niece and nephew, so I was busy keeping them from seeing it.
“What I saw was the suitcase covered in hundreds of flies. I actually heard the buzzing from them first. I noticed that it was a large suitcase and had a snow sledge next to it.” Police arrived at the scene on Friday while assisting the Metropolitan Police with an investigation.
Detectives have since confirmed that Joshua Miller, 32, of Wandsworth, has been charged with murder and preventing a lawful and decent burial. The 27-year-old has been named as Jamie Cooper, who has been charged with preventing a lawful and decent burial.
Police also revealed that the victim and both men charged following the grim discovery were known to each other. Parents were left shocked after spotting the police presence on Friday evening.
Among them was Ivan Tsvetkov, 38, who was playing with his child in the park when he noticed police rushing to the scene at around 7.30pm.
He told Kent Online: “I can’t imagine something like this happening at the park. I play there with my child. There are always loads of people there, so I am shocked by it. It’s a nice quiet area and I wouldn’t expect something like that here.” Miller and Cooper will appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
