Man who murdered estranged wife and left her remains in a park jailed

A man who was found to have murdered his estranged wife after a dog walker found human remains in a park has been jailed for over 12 years.

At around 10.15am on Monday 25 May 2020, a dog walker contacted police to report suspected human remains that were found in a bag in Reddish Vale Country Park. Officers attended and three black bin bags containing what were confirmed by a pathologist to be human remains were discovered and later confirmed to be those of Yvonne McCann.

Hours later, at around 7.15pm, Thomas McCann (24/06/71), of Rosslave Walk, Brinnington, contacted police to report his estranged wife, 46-year-old Yvonne, missing.

Though McCann's cover-up story raised concerns with officers and he was arrested and taken into police custody for questioning where he initially denied the murder.

Detectives carried out a number of lines of enquiry and also found that a family member had discovered that McCann had Yvonne's phone which had text messages sent from Yvonne's to say she was at a family BBQ - which was not the case.

The investigation team believe the last time Yvonne was alive is from a witness account from a neighbour where an argument was heard at an address on Rosslave Walk at around 9am on Saturday 23 May 2020. It is after then that detectives believe McCann has dismembered Yvonne's body.

 

CCTV analysis by the Major Investigation Team showed McCann putting a number of heavy bags into the boot of his vehicle on Rosslave Walk just before 3.45pm on 23 May 2020. Around 20 minutes later, the vehicle leaves the address, then returns at around 10.47pm and leaves again. Not long before 1am, the vehicle is spotted parked on Blackberry Way and McCann is seen removing backs from the boot of his car and walking towards Moat Walk Park.

Another camera then shows him walking towards the site where the dog walker made the discovery.

McCann pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years and 182 days at Manchester Crown Court today (30 March 2021).

In a statement, Yvonne's family said: "To our mum, we children were her everything. Our mum was, and still is, everything to us. She was funny, loud and had a heart of gold.

"We are still trying to process and come to terms with what has happened.

"Our lovely bubbly mum is gone and we will always remember her for the amazing mum and nanna that she was.

"Our families respectfully ask that we have some privacy at this very difficult time."

Detective Inspector Dan Clegg, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “First, I would like to say that our thoughts remain with Yvonne’s loved ones, especially her four children. They’ve, understandably, been left heartbroken by her death but, throughout our investigation, they’ve demonstrated tremendous composure and patience – for which I would like to thank them.

“What McCann did to Yvonne is incomprehensible. He murdered his childhood sweetheart and his children's mother before trying to dispose of her body. His attempts to dispose of her body demonstrate an absence of genuine remorse.

“I hope this case reassures members of the public that Greater Manchester Police is committed to conducting thorough enquiries and investigations to ensure victims and their loved ones get the answers they need and want. I also hope it warns offenders that attempts to cover tracks are highly unlikely to be successful and their crimes can result in hefty prison sentences, like McCann’s."