Police searching for Moors murder victim Keith Bennett are preparing a dig after a skull was found near to where he is thought to have been killed.
The boy was snatched, aged just 12, by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in 1964 – but the case has never been fully resolved.
Now, detectives are preparing a new dig after the skull was found on Saddleworth Moor above Greater Manchester.
Forensic anthropologists from Greater Manchester Police have already been examining potential samples of body tissue taken from the area.
It is hoped the breakthrough could help police crack the infamous case which has been unresolved since the youngster was lured into a car by Hindley in 1964.
He is the only one of the five Moors murder victim whose body has never been found after Brady and Hindley - both now dead - refused to say where they had buried him.
The new discovery came after author Russell Edwards put together a team of experts to try and solve the case.
Forensic archaeologist Dawn Keen, whow as on the team, said: “I do believe there are human remains there. They [police] have got to look.”
She told the Daily Mail: “From the photographs, I saw the teeth, I could see the canines, I could see the incisors, I could see the first molar. It is the left side of an upper jaw. There is no way that it is an animal."
Edwards himself said: “This is about peace for Keith and closure for the family.”
In a statement rleeased on Friday afternoon, Martin Bottomley, a review officer with Greater Manchester Police, said: “The site was assessed late last night and, this morning, specialist officers have begun initial exploration activity. We are in the very early stages of assessing the information which has been brought to our attention…
“It is far too early to be certain whether human remains have been discovered and this is expected to take some time.”
Bennett was the third of five children murdered by Brady and Hindley between 1963 and 1965 in one of the most notorious killing sprees in British history.
The pair were both jailed for life in 1966 after they were found to have snatched and sexually tortured their victims before burying them on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines above Manchester.
The five killed were Pauline Reade, 16, John Kilbride, 12, Keith Bennett, 12, Lesley Ann Downey, 10, and Edward Evans, 17, all from the Manchester area.
Pauline disappeared on her way to a disco on July 12 1963 and John was snatched in November the same year.
Keith was lured into Hindley’s car on June 16 1964 after he left home to visit his grandmother; while Lesley Ann was snatched at a funfair on Boxing Day 196, and Edward was killed in October 1965.
The final death was witnessed by the partner of Hindley’s sister - who phoned police after he had helped bury the body.
