Murder arrest after human torso found at nature reserve in Salford

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a human torso was found wrapped in plastic at a nature reserve in Salford.

The 20-year-old was arrested on Saturday night and remains in custody, Chief Superintendent Tony Creely said on Sunday morning in an update to press near to where the remains were found in Kersal Dale, close to Radford Street.

The human torso, found on Thursday, is that of a man thought to be aged over 40 and who had only been dead for a matter of days, Greater Manchester Police said on Saturday.

Nothing other than the human remains has been found during the search, the force previously said.

Mr Creely said: “At this time we continue to work hard to determine the identity of the person whose remains have been found.

“Through initial forensic and DNA testing, the victim is a man who is likely to be aged over 40 and who had only been deceased for a matter of days.

“We have a team of specially trained detectives within the major incident team working around the clock to investigate the full circumstances that led to the victim being found here.

“Last night we made an arrest of a man in his 20s from the local area on suspicion of murder.

“He remains in custody and will be questioned by detectives later today.”

Police are using search dogs and are being assisted by underwater teams at the scene to try to discover any further evidence that may assist the investigation, the force said.

Mr Creely added in a statement: “The arrest we made yesterday evening is an important step for our investigation, but we must keep an open mind, and a big part of this is speaking to anyone who may have crucial information.

“As we continue to work in the area, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their concern and co-operation so far, and we are mindful this is a disturbing incident for the local community, but I can assure you that, since we were made aware, we’ve been pursuing every single line of inquiry to help us find out what has happened.

“I cannot stress the importance of people contacting us with information if they know anything at all.

“You may have information that you don’t feel is of importance, but it could be to us. Please pass it on, it could be the key piece of information we need to progress this investigation.”

Anyone who thinks they may have witnessed something suspicious in the Kersal Dale area over the last few days is asked to come forward by calling 101 and quoting log number 2695 of April 4 2024.

Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.