Brother of Moors murder victim voices frustration over police search

Police started a dig in search of victim after author claimed to have discovered a likely grave for the boy

The brother of Moors murder victim Keith Bennett has voiced his frustration at recent claims made by an author which have sparked a renewed police investigation.

Twelve-year-old Keith Bennett was one of the five victims of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, with three of them later found buried on Saddleworth Moor.

The schoolboy’s body was never found following his disappearance in 1964.

Keith Bennett was never found following his disappearance in 1964 (PA)

Greater Manchester police started a dig in search of Keith after author Russell Edwards claimed to have discovered a likely grave for the boy.

Along with Lesley Dunlop, a geologist at Northumbria University, Mr Edwards dug up an area on Saddleworth Moors.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police continue a search on Saddleworth Moor, in north west England, for the remains of the body of 12-year-old Keith Bennett (PA)

Ms Dunlop said that they had found a child’s skull in the peat. She said: “I do believe there are human remains there. I saw the teeth, I could see the canines, I could see the incisors.”

Now, in a post on Facebook, Keith’s brother Alan Bennett has expressed his frustration at the lack of progress made by police investigators and the author’s claims.

He wrote: “Instead of doing the rounds of media outlets, maybe that bloke should return to the moor and be a lot more accurate about the facts and location of his find.

“There’s a lot more I would like to say and ask but out of respect and gratitude for the cold case team and the forensic team I’ll keep quiet for now.”

An officer carries an evidence bag on Saddleworth Moor (PA)

In a follow-up comment, Mr Bennett said he was “confused, to say the very least” at why the dig had not found any human remains yet.

“I am just getting frustrated, annoyed, confused and feeling a lot more emotions because there is more to this than meets the eye and I cannot understand why that bloke appears not to have been exact in his information to the police about the location.

“Surely, he cannot have forgotten exactly where it is after his claims about his years of investigations,” he wrote.

Police have said they have not yet found human remains (PA)

Police said on Saturday that they have not yet found human remains in their search.

Senior investigating officer Cheryl Hughes said: “Based on the photographs and information provided, and in line with GMP’s usual practice to follow up any suggestion of human burial, we began our search of the site of interest.

“We have not found any identifiable human remains but our work to excavate the site is continuing.”