Remains of man's body found in city identified

Police say Darren Green's remains were found near Festival Park earlier this month

The remains of a human skeleton discovered in a park have been identified as a missing man.

Staffordshire Police said Darren Green, 42, from Stoke-on-Trent, was reported missing on 16 July last year.

Emergency services were called to Festival Park in Etruria, in the city, at 15:30 on 2 March after the discovery of a skeleton in the area.

The death is not being treated as suspicious, officers said, and added that they were supporting his family.

In a statement, Mr Green's family said: "Today we have been informed of the tragic loss of Darren. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody affected by this.

"We would like to thank the emergency services and Staffordshire Police for their professionalism, care and understanding and ask that our privacy be respected at this sad time."

As part of the investigation, detectives and forensic teams carried out a thorough inspection of the scene over a number of days, and DNA analysis was used to identify Mr Green.