More human remains have been found in two locations as part of a murder investigation that started when a man’s torso was discovered in a nature reserve in Greater Manchester, police said.
Detectives believe the torso, found in Salford, belongs to a man in his 60s and they have informed his family. Formal identification of the remains has not yet taken place but should be completed by next week, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said.
At a news conference on Sunday, officers said the victim was believed to have known and lived with two men who remain in extended custody for further questioning after being arrested on suspicion of murder.
Det Supt Lewis Hughes said police were looking at four crime scenes in Salford and the Greater Manchester area: Worsley Road in Winton, Blackleach Reservoir and Linnyshaw Colliery Wood in Salford, and Mitchell Street in Bury.
The latest human remains were discovered by police on Sunday at Blackleach Reservoir and Linnyshaw Colliery Wood.
Hughes said officers had already identified the two scenes and were en route to the wood when a member of the public phoned the force to report they had found a package.
He added: “We are very confident it is the same victim.”
Hughes said police were also searching a warehouse in Bury where “items were stored after this incident without the knowledge of occupants of that warehouse”, and a house in Winton where the victim “was believed to have lived with the two men in custody”.
The first remains – comprising the bottom of the back, buttocks and thigh – were found in clear plastic by a passerby at Kersal Dale Wetlands in Salford on 4 April.
The victim is believed to have died in late March.
Hughes, of GMP’s Serious Crime Division, said: “While this is significant progress, we know there is still some way to go to complete this investigation.
“I also recognise the details of this case will have been particularly distressing for the people of Salford and beyond, including our officers who have worked diligently to progress this investigation, 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.”
Hughes said the force is still appealing to local communities to report anything suspicious they may have seen, heard or witnessed in the crime scene areas.
GMP said the two suspects, aged 42 and 68, from Salford, were arrested on suspicion of murder on 25 April after officers trawled through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage.
The 42-year-old was arrested after officers boarded a bus in Eccles Old Road at around midday, the force said. The other man was later arrested at an address in Worsley Road.
A 20-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder was later released on bail pending further inquiries.
