Detectives conclude searches following the murder of Stuart Everett
An investigation was first launched following the discovery of a torso in Kersal Wetlands in April
Last updated 23rd Jul 2024
Police say they have now concluded their searches of a number locations across Salford and Manchester in connection with the murder of Stuart Everett.
Partial remains of the 67-year-old - a torso wrapped in plastic - were found in woodland in Kersal Dale Wetlands in early April.
Police subsequently found further human remains in other locations and have been conducting a number of other land searches since.
Greater Manchester Police say the investigation team are still working incredibly hard to find the answers that Stuart’s family need to process his death.
Hundreds of people in Salford and further afield across Greater Manchester have been spoken to during house-to-house enquiries and through thorough detective work and in-depth CCTV enquiries, and officers identified 18 search locations where a large number of recoveries made. They say they're continuing to work through the recoveries to see what is of significance to this investigation.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes, from GMP’s Serious Crime Division, said:
“Speaking on behalf of everyone in Greater Manchester Police, our thoughts remain with Stuart’s family. We have always had them in the forefront of our minds and our actions have been focussed on finding answers for his family whilst the investigation progresses. Stuart’s family continue to be supported by specialist officers.
“It has been a challenging couple of months for everyone involved in this case, from uniformed officers who kept the scenes secure to enable our Tactical Aid Unit, Specialist Search and canine teams, Crime Scene Investigators and Underwater Search Unit to search in locations across Salford, Manchester and Bury. As a force we have used all resources available to us to find vital evidence and answers for Stuart’s family.
“Our officers have been out daily conducting thorough searches in demanding conditions and locations, with an unwavering showcase of professionalism which has shown the very best in our force.
“This is also extended to our detective resources who throughout the investigation have personally sacrificed much of their time to ensure that we could be in a position to charge two individuals – their focus has always been on getting justice for Stuart’s family and this hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“We understand that our presence over the last four months will have been disruptive to local residents as many of the locations we searched were public places and we were there over weekends and bank holidays. We have seen first-hand the emotion that has been felt in the communities across Salford and further afield, including social media posts extending condolences to Stuart’s loved ones. We know they have seen these comments and are grateful for the support they are receiving in Manchester.
“Although we have concluded our searches, there is still much work to do. We said right at the start that we would leave no stone unturned, and this continues to be the case as we move forward with our investigation.”