Murder investigation launched as human remains found in park in south London

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A murder investigation has been launched after human remains were found in a park in south London.

Police consulted with a forensic anthropologist who confirmed that what had been found was human, and comes from one victim.

Searches are being carried out in Rowdown Fields in Croydon after the troubling discovery on Tuesday.

Pictures from the scene show a cordon in place around the park and and up to 10 police officers and dogs standing in the car park.

Detective Inspector Martin Thorpe said: “As you would expect, my team is working extremely hard in the early stages of this investigation to co-ordinate the search effort and carry out inquiries as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

“We are not going to give specific details on our search of the area, but I can confirm that since yesterday we have recovered further remains.

“After consultation with a forensic anthropologist, we are certain that these are human.

“At this time, our search is not complete, and so local people will continue to see officers in the area.

“This is being treated as murder, and we currently believe the remains belong to one victim.

“Samples have be sent away for urgent forensic analysis and I anticipate that a special post-mortem examination will take place later this week.”

Investigators are not yet able to give any information about the victim, including their age, sex, or ethnicity, until further tests are carried out.

Inspector Thorpe added: “Our priority is to identify the victim, but until we are in possession of fuller facts, informed by the post-mortem examination we are not in a position to confirm the person’s age, ethnicity, or gender.

“A family has lost their loved one, and as a team, we are focusing on finding them and securing the answers they will need to come to terms with their loss.”

It is expected that police will remain at the scene throughout the night.

Superintendent Lewis Collins, who leads policing in the area that covers Croydon, said: “This is a very disturbing discovery and over the last day or so, the community in our borough has pulled together to give officers the space they need to carry out this important work.

“We are very appreciative of their support and we continue to ask that speculation on this case is kept to a minimum. We will keep people informed as soon as we have updates to share.”