Human remains have been discovered in the search for missing Peter Baglin, who disappeared just after Christmas Day, Greater Manchester Police has confirmed.
Although the remains have yet to be formally identified, officers say that Peter's next of kin has been informed amid the search of the land around Bridgewater Canal where he disappeared. The remains were discovered Saturday, March 4 at around 10.48am in the area of the Bridgewater Canal in Boothstown.
The death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries are ongoing to establish the surrounding circumstances, police have said. Peter Baglin, a 55-year-old from Boothstown, vanished almost ten weeks ago after going out for an evening walk along the Bridgewater Canal to 'clear his head'.
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In a statement issued this evening (March 5), a spokesperson for the force said: "Officers from GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit made the discovery on Saturday 4 March 2023 at around 10:48am, following a further search of the area around the Bridgwater Canal in Boothstown.
"The remains have not been formally identified, however Peter’s next of kin has been informed and specialist officers are continuing to support the family and their loved."
Peter has been missing from Boothstown since December 28, 2022. Detective Inspector Michael Sharples of the GMP Salford District said: "Though we are not currently in a position to confirm this is Peter, our thoughts remain with his wife Michelle and his loved ones. We understand that the last two months have been extremely difficult for them and this continues to be a distressing time for all of Peter’s loved ones.
"Search teams, made up of GMP personnel and colleagues from partner agencies - such as the National Police Air Service, North West Underwater Search Team and Mountain Rescue – have worked extensively to try and find Peter.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has assisted to date, and also to confirm that our enquiries will not stop until we have found the necessary answers for Peter’s loved ones, for our investigation and for coronial proceedings."
Peter was spotted on CCTV cameras in a local petrol station, on the East Lancashire Road, buying a small bottle of whiskey before his disappearance. On a phone call minutes later, he assured wife Michelle he would be home soon - but he never returned.
Police sent divers into the Bridgewater Canal for a second time in recent days as in the hope of potential new leads in the search for the great-grandad. On the night Peter went missing, police said there were 'extremely low temperatures' and that a change in seasons can 'impact how the water behaves'.
Initially, in the days following Peter's disappearance, Greater Manchester Police and underwater divers carried out extensive searches of the Bridgewater Canal between the Moorings and Astley Point. Mountain Rescue teams combed adjoining fields and woodland areas, with an infrared drone also deployed.
The force also conducted CCTV and doorbell footage from the local area and afar, with over 200 members of the local community and Peter's family also lending a hand in carrying out weeks of searches of their own. A number of his belongings were later found on the embankment of the canal but there was still no sign of Peter.
Last week, efforts ramped up further after a voluntary underwater search team, Beneath the Surface, stepped in to offer help, using high frequency sonar technology to scour around three miles of the Bridgewater Canal. However, their search did not indicate a body was in the water.
Peter, who works at Salford Royal Hospital alongside wife Michelle, was last seen wearing navy coloured joggers, walking shoe type trainers and a grey Mountain Equipment hoodie with a red zip and a hat. He is described as being 5ft 10ins in height, with grey hair, and a tattoo on the left side of his neck that says 'Michelle'. He is also wearing his wedding ring.
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