Burned body near Peak District 'had no head or limbs'

Police said the body was found in a suitcase in a lay-by

The badly burned body of a man found in a lay-by near the Peak District had its head and limbs missing and was stuffed in a suitcase, police have said.

It is thought the body was dumped some time between 21:00 BST and midnight on Sunday, just off the A628 at Tintwistle, near Glossop, Derbyshire.

Police are liaising with Europol, as the unidentified victim could be a foreign national.

A member of the public discovered the remains on Monday.

At a press conference, a police spokesman said a witness saw a fire close to the road on Sunday.

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Assistant Chief Constable Bill McWilliam told reporters he was "pretty satisfied this poor individual" was not murdered in the lay-by.

Mr McWilliam said: "We are working with other forces to ascertain whether our victim may have been reported missing in a neighbouring county but we recognise he might not have been reported missing at all.

"I recognise this must be a very shocking incident for either people who live in the area or frequent the area for recreation."

Post-mortem examinations revealed the body belonged to a white man under the age of 50, but no DNA matches have been found on the national database.

The cause of death is still unknown.

Assistant Chief Constable Bill McWilliam said he did not believe the man had been murdered in the lay-by

Police have urged anyone who may have information about the man's identity to contact them.

Officers would also like to hear from anyone who was in the area on Sunday night or who travels regularly along the A628 between Tintwistle and the Flounch roundabout.

A murder inquiry began on Tuesday after the man's remains were found, led by officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit.