Mystery still surrounds the identity of a suspected murder victim after human bones were found in a Sudbury river just over a month ago.
The remains were discovered after a member of the public alerted a wildlife ranger to two black bin bags in the River Stour near Meadow Gate and Croft Bridge on Thursday, August 27.
The bags were found to have bones inside and a submerged shopping trolley was also discovered nearby.
Suffolk police launched a murder investigation and a thorough search of the river and surrounding area took place over the next 10 days.
Detectives then revealed the victim was a man of “athletic or muscular build” but a cause of death has not yet been established.
DNA taken from the remains of the man has so far also failed to match anyone on the UK Missing Persons Bureau.
Police have been able to rule out that the remains belonged to either RAF airman Corrie Mckeague or teenager Luke Durbin.
MORE: Sudbury bones: No DNA matches with anyone from UK missing persons listMore than 140 people contacted police following the discovery of the remains, and Jack Owen, Sudbury mayor, praised the community for assisting with the murder investigation.
“I have always thought people in Sudbury tended to be like that,” he said.
“They will try to help where they can with something like that.
“There was quite a lot of speculation but it has gone very quiet now. I suppose if the police come up with something else, it will start again.
“I urged anyone with information to go to the police because you never know how the smallest detail can help them.”
MORE: Human remains discovered in Sudbury belong to ‘athletic man’, police confirmSpeaking on September 11, Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Bridger, head of crime, stressed that the investigation will take “considerable time”.
“The UK Missing Persons Bureau hold records on every missing person in the country and where DNA profiles have been obtained, these are held on their database,” he said.
“We have run the initial profile we have of this individual through that database, but have not had a match at this time.
“There are other opportunities that remain open to us and we are continuing to develop these.
“However, as we have said from the outset, this is an investigation that will take considerable time.”
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