Murder arrest after headless human torso found wrapped in plastic at Salford nature reserve

The man in his 20s was arrested on Saturday night and remains in custody

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a human torso was found wrapped in plastic at a nature reserve in Salford.

The man in his 20s was arrested on Saturday night and remains in custody, chief superintendent Tony Creely said on Sunday morning.

The human remains were found in Kersal Dale, close to Radford Street, on Thursday.

A human torso was found wrapped in plastic in a nature reserve in Salford (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Greater Manchester Police said the torso is that of a man thought to be aged over 40. The remains are believed to have been in the location for between 24 and 36 hours before being discovered.

An extensive police cordon remains in place at the largely wooded reserve, which is located north of Manchester city centre and covers around 32 hectares of countryside.

However, nothing other than the human remains has been found during the search, the force previously said.

Chief superintendent Tony Creely said a man has arrested on suspicion of murder (Getty Images)

A heavy police presence guards the Kersal Dale woodlands where the remains were found on 5 April (Getty Images)

“At this time we continue to work hard to determine the identity of the person whose remains have been found,” Mr Creely said.

“Through initial forensic and DNA testing, the victim is a man who is likely to be aged over 40 and who had only been deceased for a matter of days.

(Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

“We have a team of specially trained detectives within the major incident team working around the clock to investigate the full circumstances that led to the victim being found here.

“Last night we made an arrest of a man in his 20s from the local area on suspicion of murder.

“He remains in custody and will be questioned by detectives later today.”

Anyone who thinks they may have witnessed something suspicious in the Kersal Dale area over the last few days 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.