Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder after human remains were found on a nature reserve near Prestwich.
The man, aged 20, was arrested in the “local area” late last night say police.
Chief Superintendent Tony Creely gave a statement outside the reserve on Bury New Road this morning, April 7.
A scene remains in place around the Kersal Wetlands area.
Ch Supt Creely said: “At this time we continue to work hard to determine the identity of the person whose remains have been found, and through initial forensic and DNA testing, the victim is a man who is likely to be over the age of 40 and has only been deceased for a matter of days.
"We have a team of specially trained detectives within the Major Incident Team working around the clock to investigate the full circumstances that have led to the victim being found here.
“Last night, we made an arrest of a man in his 20s in the local area on suspicion of murder.
“He remains in custody and will be questioned by detectives later today.”
Read more: Human remains discovered on nature reserve confirmed to be a man, aged over 40
Read more: Police launch murder investigation after ‘human remains’ found
He later confirmed that the man arrested was "20 years old". He added that the police did not yet know about the "motive, weapons used or how the victim died".
Ch Supt Creely said: "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, and this remains in our thoughts throughout the investigation.
"Although at this time we have not found anything else that is of interest to the investigation in the Kersal Wetlands area, our work will not stop (until) we are certain that we have thoroughly searched the area.
"To help us do this, we have utilised our special officers and our specialist branches in the force, such as our search dogs, to assist officers in combing through every inch of the area until we are satisfied we have done all that we can do.
"As we continue to work in the area, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their concern (with) the operation so far, and we are mindful that this is a disturbing incident for the lawful community."
He added: "But I can assure you that since we were made aware of the deceased, the victim, we have been pursuing every single line of enquiry to help us find out what has happened.
"I cannot stress the importance of people contacting us with information if they know anything at all. You may have information that you don't feel is of importance, but if you could contact the police with any information, it could be the piece that helps us to progress with this investigation."
Police were called to the area on Thursday after a torso wrapped in plastic was found in the nature reserve.
Forensic examinations on Friday afternoon have determined that the victim is a man – likely to be aged older than 40 and who had only been dead for a matter of days, Greater Manchester Police said.
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 April 4 2024.
Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here