Latest news with #humanremains
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Woman, 86, arrested after reports human remains were buried at home in the 1970s
A woman aged 86 has been arrested after police received a tip off about human remains buried at a home in the 1970s. Officers from Leicestershire police are currently searching two properties in the city. The force said the report was made by a 'third party' and alleged human remains may have been buried at an address in Wolverton Road. Officers also executed a warrant at a property in Dumbleton Avenue on Saturday. Police and forensic officers remained at both houses on Tuesday, where cordons were in place. A blue tent could be seen in the garden of one of the properties. Leicestershire police the investigation was 'currently in its very early stages and officers are working to establish the full circumstances of the report'. In a statement released on Tuesday police said the woman was arrested on Saturday 'in connection with the investigation'. She has since been released on police bail while the investigation continues. Detective Inspector Neil Holden, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit's major crime team, who leading the investigation said: 'This is a very complex and sensitive investigation which will take time. 'I appreciate the news of this investigation will be concerning to the local community and I must emphasise the investigation is in its very early stages as we continue to establish the full circumstances of the report. 'Given the serious nature of the allegations which have been made, a scene preservation has been put in place at both addresses to allow officers to carry out a thorough search and secure any evidence that could help our enquiries. 'Officers from the West Leicester Neighbourhood Policing Area remain in the area to provide further reassurance to the local community. 'Please speak to us if you have any information that you think could help us. I would also ask our communities to avoid the sharing of misinformation and speculation. Please only share information which is known to be true. 'We will provide further updates to you as and when we are able to and when it is appropriate to do so.' People living nearby expressed their shock. One Wolverton Road resident, Deepshikha, 23, told LeicestershireLive today: 'It's really shocking. We came home from work and there were lots of police. It is scary.' Miroslav Oracko, 30, who has lived in the area since 2017, said: 'It's a bit strange knowing there's [allegedly] been remains in the garden. You don't hear about this often so it comes as a big shock.' Another resident, Ellen, told LeicestershireLive: '[The police] started appearing a few days ago. We didn't know what was happening. 'We asked the officer if the people that lived there were okay and he told us they were.'
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Woman, 86, arrested after '50-year-old human remains' found buried at property
AN 86-YEAR-OLD woman has been arrested after cops reportedly discovered 50-year-old human remains at a property in Leicester. Police raced to the property after concerns were raised that human remains were buried at the address in the 1970s. 1 Authorities searched an address on Wolverton Road on July 19, in the early stages of their investigation. Following that, a second property - this time on Dumbleton Avenue - was searched on the same day. Then, an 86-year-old woman was arrested in connection with the incident, though she is now out on bail. As the investigation into the remains continues, police have ramped up patrols in the area and are remaining at the two properties in question. Detective Inspector Neil Holden, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit's major crime team, is leading the investigation. He said: "This is a very complex and sensitive investigation which will take time. "I appreciate the news of this investigation will be concerning to the local community and I must emphasise the investigation is in its very early stages as we continue to establish the full circumstances of the report. "Given the serious nature of the allegations which have been made, a scene preservation has been put in place at both addresses to allow officers to carry out a thorough search and secure any evidence that could help our enquiries. "Officers from the West Leicester Neighbourhood Policing Area remain in the area to provide further reassurance to the local community." Authorities have appealed to the public for more information and have urged people to call them on 101, citing 25*422416. The force has confirmed that it will provide updates as the investigation continues.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Woman, 86, arrested after report of human remains in Leicester house
An 86-year-old woman has been arrested in Leicester following a report that human remains may have been buried at a house in the 1970s. Leicestershire Police said that officers had executed warrants off Narborough Road following a report human remains may have been buried at an address in Wolverton Road in the 1970s. Officers said the investigation was in its very early stages, and a warrant was also executed at a property in Dumbleton Avenue on 86-year-old was arrested on Saturday in connection with the investigation and remained in custody, the force added. Police said officers remained at both addresses to carry out thorough searches of each Insp Neil Holden, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit's major crime team, said: "This is a very complex and sensitive investigation, which will take time. "I appreciate the news of this investigation will be concerning to the local community, and I must emphasise the investigation is in its very early stages as we continue to establish the full circumstances of the report."Given the serious nature of the allegations which have been made, a scene preservation has been put in place at both addresses to allow officers to carry out a thorough search and secure any evidence that could help our enquiries."Officers from the West Leicester Neighbourhood Policing Area remain in the area to provide further reassurance to the local community."Please speak to us if you have any information that you think could help us. I would also ask our communities to avoid the sharing of misinformation and speculation. Please only share information which is known to be true."We will provide further updates to you as and when we are able to and when it is appropriate to do so."
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- The Guardian
Diving for the disappeared: the dangerous underwater hunt for Colombia's missing
As scuba diver Pedro Albarracín scours the muddy seabed surrounding Skull Island, opposite the Colombian port city of Buenaventura, he invokes the protection of Yemayá, goddess of the seas, and Oshun, goddess of the rivers – deities of the Yoruba faith. The dark waters of the San Antonio estuary around him are believed to conceal the bodies of at least 190 people disappeared during Colombia's long and violent armed conflict, a struggle that gave the islet its morbid name. Before his dive, religious leaders bless Albarracín, imbuing him with spiritual protection, and remind him to call on the goddesses for guidance and safety in his search for human remains. 'This support from the religious leaders is very important to us,' says Albarracín. 'Feeling that they are supporting you and using their ancestral practices to provide you with that protection feeds your confidence. The heart that they put into the mission permeates you and gives you a little bit more courage.' The dives, which took place late last year, were part of an unprecedented exercise in Colombia. The operation marked the first time that an official, state-backed search had taken place along Buenaventura's San Antonio estuary, with the active involvement of the community. With a remarkable combination of sonar technology, rigorous forensic investigations, and anthropological work with guidance from religious leaders, local fishers and piangüeras – mangrove shellfish gatherers – the government's Search Unit for Persons Reported Missing (UBPD) aims to recover those who disappeared, as well as provide some healing to victims and the community. Buenaventura, a port city on Colombia's Pacific coast, has long been scarred by paramilitary violence. According to the UBPD, at least 940 people are considered to have disappeared in the area. The figure could be much higher. Colombia's National Movement of Victims of State Crimes believes the number of those disappeared in Buenaventura to be more than 1,300. The UBPD's search along the San Antonio estuary focused on victims who disappeared between 1989 and 2016, when the conflict officially ended, after a peace deal was signed between the Colombian government and members of the Farc rebel group. 'This [search] had not been possible before because the security conditions did not allow for it,' says María Victoria Rodríguez, the UBPD coordinator who led the operation. 'We knew what the difficulties were, that the tides wouldn't help us, that the possibility of finding something here was very complex, but it had to be done.' Most of those missing are believed to be victims of armed groups, whose methods were brutal. They reportedly dismembered victims and placed them in steel drums full of cement before dumping them in the murky waters of the estuary. They would also allegedly tie victims to the low roots of the web of mangroves that lie along the coast, and let the strong tides and wildlife do the rest. The effort in the San Antonio estuary is part of a larger push by the UBPD to locate Colombia's disappeared – a herculean task in a country where more than 120,000 people are believed to have gone missing during the armed conflict. Since beginning operations in 2018, the UBPD has recovered 2,490 bodies, with 1,239 recovered in 2024 alone. The involvement of local communities challenges the silence that for decades cloaked Buenaventura's disappearances. Many families never reported missing relatives, fearing retaliation or simply not believing the state would act. During the search, a dive team equipped with high-powered 11,000-lumen lamps to penetrate the dark waters combed the estuary, while leaders of the fishing community helped them navigate the tides. 'It is one of the most dangerous dives I have ever done and one of the most intense searches I have ever undertaken,' says Albarracín, who searched a 20-metre radius surrounding each designated point of interest. In parallel, another team ventured on to the marshy low-tide terrain, where the piangüeras – renowned for their skill in navigating the mud-bound mangroves while harvesting molluscs – combed through seven designated search corridors in the mud. There, the UBPD team quickly realised that their standard kit was useless, as the muddy terrain made heavy equipment redundant and rendered investigators and anthropologists unfamiliar with the landscape virtually immobile. Rodríguez says: 'There was no other element that we could use in this field other than the piangüeras' hands. This knowledge that isn't in textbooks, and that we ourselves don't have, allowed us to minimise errors.' Before the searches began, religious leaders carried out a spiritual reconciliation ceremony to ask the estuary for forgiveness – a symbolic act to acknowledge the pain it had absorbed as a site of body disposal. An altar was built at the UBPD's office in Buenaventura, where religious leaders remained throughout the mission, reading messages and interpreting signs, including changes in the weather, believed to be communications from their gods. Before venturing into the waters, the teams were harmonised – the UBPD scientists as well as community members who would be entering the estuary. Each received a small protective bracelet, meant to accompany them throughout their fieldwork. The waters surrounding Buenaventura are murky and dark, subject to strong currents and shifting tides. They are also heavily contaminated by the city's busy port as well as by the surrounding stilt communities, which often use the waterways to dispose of waste. As a result, no remains were found in the San Antonio estuary over the 17-day search. Since then, scuba diving efforts have been on hold. The project's future is in the hands of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, a judicial body set up to address the legacy of the armed conflict. For the UBPD and the broader community of Buenaventura, such efforts are pivotal. 'These communities have their own spiritual relationship with the physical body,' says Adriel Ruiz, head of the Corporación Memoria y Paz, a local NGO that works alongside victims of the conflict in Buenaventura. 'Once someone disappears, it breaks these psycho-spiritual and religious dynamics and generates a social deterioration, a collective damage. Finding them is key for the community.'
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Human remains found after dad went missing almost six years ago
Human remains have been found following a near-six-year search to find a missing dad. Police say the family of Richard Dyson have been kept informed of developments after the discovery was made in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, last week. Richard, 58, was last seen in November 2019 and his family have issued multiple heartfelt pleas to find him in the years since he first disappeared. READ MORE: 5 games released in 2025 guaranteed to take you back to the good old days of gaming READ MORE: The 10 best mobile games you can play for free - and number 1 will surprise you South Yorkshire Police says human remains were found at a property on Broadcarr Road, in the Hoyland area of Barnsley, last Monday (July 14). Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here Three police scenes remain active in Barnsley in connection with the search, while two men aged 72 and 71 have been re-arrested on suspicion of murder, Yorkshire Live reports. Andy Knowles, senior investigating officer at South Yorkshire Police, said: 'We are keeping an open mind following this discovery, and working around the clock to establish the identity of the person involved and the circumstances surrounding this development. 'Richard Dyson and his family remain at the forefront of our minds as we progress our enquiries, and we know how important it is for them to get answers. 'We remain keen to hear from anyone with any information which could assist us, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Please get in touch and tell us what you know.' Formal identification of the remains is yet to take place, South Yorkshire Police said on Monday night (July 21), but Richard's family are aware of the situation. Residents have been warned to expect an ongoing police presence at the three scenes - on Dike Hill, Sheffield Road and Hoyland Common - for the next couple of weeks while enquiries continue. The two suspects were re-arrested last Monday on suspicion of murder and later bailed pending further enquiries. They were previously arrested in connection with Richard's disappearance in March 2021 and re-arrested in July 2023. Richard's last known sighting was at was around 11pm on Sunday, November 17 2019, when he was spotted walking along the A6135 Sheffield Road in Hoyland. He was last seen by his daughter two days earlier. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE His daughter, Bethany Dainty, has issued multiple appeals to find him over the years. She said in December 2021: "I feel like breaking down and crying every second of every day... Every year without him that shock and disbelief just grows." Bethany added: "Every day waking up and not knowing what happened hurts, it feels like I can't get any closure not having any answers. "Somebody must know something, and I just don't understand why anyone would keep anything like that to themselves and would put a family through so much pain." Anyone with information is asked to contact South Yorkshire Police online or by phoning 101, quoting incident number 459 of November 25, 2019. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
