A man arrested on suspicion of murder after a torso was found in a nature reserve has been released on bail.
Divers and search dogs have been deployed in Kersal Wetlands, Salford, after the discovery of the body part wrapped in plastic last Thursday, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
The force said a 20-year-old man arrested on Saturday had been released on bail pending further inquiries.
The victim is believed to have been a man aged over 40, who had only been dead for a matter of days.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Naismith of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “This is a distressing case, and we understand that the news last Thursday quite rightly caused shockwaves for the people of Salford and further afield in Greater Manchester.
“At the forefront of our thoughts is our victim. A life has been lost and our job is to investigate this thoroughly in order to find out answers for a family that will one day suffer the loss of their loved one.
“I want people to be reassured with our large and visible presence in the local area. We continue to search the area thoroughly by utilising specialist departments to increase our capabilities in order to ensure a wide and thorough search of the area.
“Our underwater divers have been out searching throughout the weekend and into this week and our canine capabilities have also been deployed with specialist search dogs examining every inch of Kersal Wetlands and the surrounding area.
“Once again, I’d like to extend my gratitude to the local community, who are giving our officers the time and space they need to progress this investigation – their co-operation and assistance is giving us the best chance possible in establishing the full facts.
“Due to the condition that we found our victim in, we are relying a lot on forensic work which can take time, and this is where we need the public to help us.
“I want to assure you we will provide you with updates as and when we can but the most important thing for us now is finding out the identity of our victim and finding out as much as possible into how his remains were found in Kersal.”
Witnesses who may have seen something suspicious in the area could be key to “unlocking” what happened, a force spokesman said.
Anyone with information can call 101, quoting log number 2695 of April 4, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
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