Man and woman arrested after police stop them ‘walking down street carrying a human torso in suitcase’ – before finding other body parts scattered in a nearby forest
- Woman in her 20s and man in his 30s have been arrested on suspicion of murder
- Human remains found close to Stowfield Quarry, Gloucestershire on Tuesday
- An officer allegedly stopped a couple carrying the bag near the Forest of Dean
Police have launched a murder probe after allegedly finding a human torso in a suitcase in Gloucestershire.
The discovery was reportedly made after an officer stopped a couple walking along the side of a road, carrying the bag, near the Forest of Dean.
A woman in her 20s from Birmingham and a man his 30s from Wolverhampton were arrested on suspicion of murder after the grim finding on Tuesday.
It comes as
Two people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after human remains were found in the Forest of Dean at around 11.30pm yesterday
A large area has been cordoned off on the outskirts of Coleford.
Forensic tests are currently being carried out on the suspected remains, which were found close to the England-Wales border.
A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said yesterday: ‘Due to an ongoing police investigation road closures and scene guards are in place on the A4136 between Monmouth and Coleford.
‘Shortly after 11.30pm last night, Tuesday 12 May, officers discovered suspected human remains.
One resident said: ‘The tents weren’t there when I went out this morning but they had appeared by the time I got back. I don’t know what’s going on but they say I can’t even walk along the road’
Police were pictured at the entrance road to Stowfield Quarry as a murder investigation was launched near Coleford yesterday
The discovery was made at the entrance to the Stowfield Quarry and a large area remains cordoned off on the outskirts of Coleford, Gloucestershire
‘Cordons are likely to remain in place for the rest of the day while enquiries continue to establish what has taken place and further forensic tests are being carried out on the remains.
‘A woman from Birmingham aged in her 20s and a man from Wolverhampton aged in his 30s have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the investigation and remain in police custody today.’
It is not clear where exactly the suspected remains were found but police sealed off a large area and three tents were erected at the entrance to Stowfield Quarry.
One resident said: ‘The tents weren’t there when I went out this morning but they had appeared by the time I got back. I don’t know what’s going on but they say I can’t even walk along the road.
‘Somebody said they had found a body and the police say the road will be closed all day.’
Another resident who lives within the cordon said: ‘I don’t know what’s happening.
Police were pictured at the entrance road to Stowfield Quarry yesterday as the investigation continues
‘I didn’t notice anything until I drove down the road and came to the road block. I asked if I could go through and they said yes but I might not be able to get back in again.
‘One of the officers said the road might be closed for a few days so it must be serious.’
The quarry is on Staunton Road and the closed section also contains a fishery, a former sawmill which now contains storage units, several houses and a campsite.
The main A4136 from Cinderford to Monmouth was blocked off at the bottom of the hill at Monmouth and there was a further roadblock at the Coleford traffic lights.
The roadblock at the lights was stopping traffic from Monmouth and Staunton turning right into Coleford or heading past the fishery to Berry Hill and beyond.
Both blocked-off sections of road would have caused chaos on a normal working day and key workers had to find detours through the lanes.