A quiet cul-de-sac and popular dog walking spot on the edge of Wythenshawe turned into a suspected murder scene after the body of a man was discovered in woodland.
Police were called to the wooded area near Concord Business Park at around 7.30am on Thursday (August 15), to reports of an unconscious male, near to Threapwood Road.
The grim discovery of a lifeless body of a man was made in an area known as Big Wood. A man, aged in his 40s, was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken into custody.
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Police taped off the wooded area throughout the day as they investigated, with an evidence tent also erected and plain-clothed detectives conducting enquiries at the scene. The victim, whose age has not been confirmed, has tragically not yet been identified.
Apart from the arrival of fire engines and technical response units later in the afternoon, who were seen stepping inside the cordon, the scene remained quiet for most of the day, apart from a few dog walkers in the area.
“I’ve been out all afternoon but my wife sent me the link [about this] in the news,” one local dog-walker said, holding onto the lead of his greyhound. “I couldn’t believe it, I come here all the time, first thing in the morning, and then the afternoon.”
“It’s quieter here”, he added. “In the winter you can see pretty much straight through it, but in summer when the leaves are all out, it can get pretty dark and shrouded.”
Opposite offices of chrome and glass, trimmed grass verges and manicured hedges, the wooded area where the horrifying discovery was made is largely overgrown with few footpaths leading through it.
One man walking his pitbull through this area earlier in the day told the Manchester Evening News that he had been told by officers to leave the scene as police arrived and taped off the area.
Officers later extended the cordon to the full perimeter of the woodland as fire crews arrived to assist with dignity screens amid investigations.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “At around 7.30am this morning (Thursday 15 August 2024), we were called to reports of an unconscious male on Threapwood Road in Wythenshawe.
“Officers attended and sadly found a body in the wooded area. No identification has taken place at this stage. A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.”
