Man in his 20s arrested after headless torso found wrapped in plastic

The man remains in custody and will be questioned by detectives later today.

A murder probe was launched after emergency services were called to an “unknown item” wrapped in plastic in Kersal Wetlands at 5.50pm.

The discovery was later confirmed to be human remains and an investigation was launched after police confirmed it was “not possible the victim could have survived”.

Yesterday, police confirmed the remains belonged to a man in his 40s or older and had been at the scene for “a matter of days”.

The victim has yet to be identified.

Chief Superintendent Tony Creely said police were working around the clock to identify the victim.

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He said: “This is an important step for our investigation, but we must keep an open mind.

“A big part of this is speaking to anyone from the local community who may have useful information.

“Our main focus at this time is establishing who our victim is because at the heart of this investigation is a family somewhere who have lost a loved one.”

According to the MEN, police divers are scouring nearby water for further clues.

Police divers from the North West Underwater Search Unit were at the scene this morning but a forensic tent previously seen in Kersal Wetlands has been removed.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Creely, said: “This is a tragic case which is moving at pace and, thanks to forensic tests, we are able to confirm that the victim is a man who could not have survived.

“At the heart of our investigation is this man and his family.

“We are using all forensic techniques available to identify him as soon as we can so we are able to support his loved ones during this devastating time.

“I would like to thank the public for their cooperation in the last few days.

“The presence of our officers and specialist teams will have caused disruption in the local area – and may continue to for some time yet – but we value any information they have been able to pass to us.

“There remain a number of unknowns around this case, but we are working diligently and respectfully to provide answers as soon as we are able.

“This will take time and we will continue to provide updates of significance when we can.”