Police are now treating the death of a man in Kenton, Newcastle, as suspected murder.
The body of a man in his fifties was found by ambulance crews in a patch of grass on Brigham Close on Friday night (January 20), with the police notified at around 8.20pm.
A large cordon was set up and a full investigation launched shortly after. And this morning, police have confirmed that with the man’s severe facial injuries, the incident is being treated as suspected murder.
Read more: 'I felt sick when I found out' - Neighbours speak of sadness as man's body found in Kenton
Detective chief inspector Martin Brooks, of Northumbria Police, said: “We are determined to find out exactly what has happened here and get the man’s family the answers they rightly deserve.
“We believe the man was seriously assaulted on Friday night and whoever was responsible for inflicting those injuries has then left the scene. We are carrying out a huge range of enquiries in order to trace anyone believed to have been responsible.
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“Those enquiries will continue throughout the course of today and officers remain in the area to gather evidence and speak to those living in the area. Anybody with concerns is encouraged to speak to an officer on duty.”
Det Ch Insp Brooks once again asked for the public’s help - asking anyone who saw “anything suspicious” in the area on Friday night, “or a person heading away from the scene”, to contact the force.
“Please also check any CCTV or dashcam footage if you live or were driving near that area. Your information could prove the key to our investigation,” he added.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the Northumbria Police website or by calling 101 quoting log NP-20230120-0995.
The man’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.
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