Sudbury 'bags of bones' investigators release new image

Police want to trace this man and woman seen walking along Melford Road in Sudbury, Suffolk, on 19 August 2020

A photo has been released of a pair police want to find two years after the remains of a man were discovered in two bin bags in a river.

The bones were found in the River Stour in Sudbury, Suffolk, on 27 August 2020, sparking a murder inquiry.

The couple were seen on 19 August of that year walking two dogs and pulling a shopping trolley bag on Melford Road.

Suffolk Police said the pair were potential witnesses and not suspects in the case.

Det Supt Mike Brown said officers were "committed to solving this complex case and obtaining justice for the victim".

Two bin bags containing bones were recovered from the River Stour in Sudbury on 27 August 2020

The latest tests revealed the man was white, about 5ft 9in (1.8m) tall, of medium build and of North European heritage.

Previous tests revealed he died between 2008 and 2012, was in his late 50s or early 60s and of an "athletic or muscular build", but no cause of death has been established.

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Mr Brown said "forensic opportunities" were "the only realistic way we are going to learn more about the victim", adding his team "continue to learn more about the victim as we go along".

Officers have reviewed missing person records locally and nationally, looked at DNA databases in the UK and abroad and continue to work with the National Crime Agency on the case.

They have collated more than 1,800 exhibits and taken more than 1,400 statements and reports.

Police said how the victim's remains came to be in the river was another line of inquiry

Mr Brown urged anyone with concerns about a male relative, friend or colleague, in his late 50s or early 60s, who had not been seen since the 2008-2012 period, to get in touch.

Officers also want to hear from anyone who noticed someone acting suspiciously in the days and weeks before the discovery.

A 26-year-old man from Sudbury, arrested in 2021 in connection with the inquiry and released under investigation, will face no further action at this time, police said.