Murder probe continues with search of Kersal Wetlands ongoing

Major Incident Team detectives, specialist units and local neighbourhood teams continue their searches in the area, working hard to determine the identity of human remains found in Kersal Wetlands on Thursday 4 April.

Over the weekend, officers arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of murder, he has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Naismith of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “This is a distressing case, and we understand that the news last Thursday quite rightly caused shockwaves for the people of Salford and further afield in Greater Manchester.

“At the forefront of our thoughts is our victim, a life has been lost, and our job is to investigate this thoroughly in order to find out answers for a family that will one day suffer the loss of their loved one.

“I want people to be reassured with our large and visible presence in the local area. We continue to search the area thoroughly by utilising specialist departments to increase our capabilities in order to ensure a wide and thorough search of the area.

“Our underwater divers have been out searching throughout the weekend and our canine capabilities have also been deployed with specialist search dogs examining every inch of Kersal Wetlands and the surrounding area.

“Once again, I’d like to extend my gratitude to the local community, who are giving our officers the time and space they need to progress this investigation, their cooperation and assistance is giving us the best chance possible in establishing the full facts.

“Due to the condition that we found our victim in, we are relying a lot on forensic work which can take time, and this is where we need the public to help us.

“I want to assure you we will provide you with updates as and when we can but the most important thing for us now is finding out the identity of our victim and finding out as much as possible into how his remains were found in Kersal.”

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

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

A dedicated portal for anyone to submit images or video footage which could help police can be found here: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)