A murder investigation is continuing after the body of a woman believed to be in her 70s was found in Stanley Park in Liverpool in what police have called a “shocking crime”.
The discovery was made in the walled garden area of the park on Friday at around 5.25pm when a member of the public contacted Merseyside Police.
The woman was found inside a bin bag that is thought to have been at the location for a number of weeks, according to detective superintendent Rachel Wilson who was speaking at a press conference on Monday.
Police said she had not yet been identified and appealed for information to confirm her identity. She is believed to be a woman in her 70s, white, with strawberry blonde hair and around 5 ft 2 inches tall.
She was found in a distinctive pink Nike t-shirt with a black logo.
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"Our team has since been carrying out extensive enquiries to identify the woman, but we have so far been unable to do this,” said Det Supt Wilson.
“We believe that her body may have been in a black bin bag at this location for a number of weeks.”
A post-mortem took place on Saturday and the results of the procedure have been held for “investigation reasons” with police adding: “When we are able to share the details of this, we will.”
A mobile police station has been set up in Stanley Park, which police described as “a very busy and popular green space, especially in the recent warm summer weeks.”
“It is visited by dog walkers and families, as well as people walking and exercising,” said assistant chief constable Andy Ryan.
“It is quite possible that one or more of these visitors may have seen something suspicious recently and not reported it at the time.”
The mobile station is to serve as a visible presence alongside patrols in the area and for the purposes of gathering information to support the ongoing murder investigation.
Police have urged members of the public to consider if they. have any neighbours, family members or friends who may live in the area, who they “may not have seen or heard from for a few weeks.”
Missing people reports in Merseyside have been checked but have not resulted in an identification.
“Sometimes people go missing without those close to them realising, through holidays being planned, or simple misunderstandings, and so we may not have received a report of any concerns,” said Det Supt Wilson.
She added: “Be assured that we are doing all we can to identify the person or persons responsible and bring them to justice. This is a shocking crime.”
Anyone with information is urged to call Merseyside Police via their website www.merseyside.police.uk or to call 101, quoting reference number 26000706383. Alternatively, the force can also be contacted via their social media desk @MerPolCC or on Facebook or X. Anonymous calls can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
