DNA tests are carried out on human bone found near lake
POLICE are carrying out DNA testing and carbon dating of a human thigh bone found next to a lake in Stalybridge.
Officers are also liaising with Tameside General Hospital which is close to where the femur was found.
Detectives hope the forensic analysis will help them discover how old the bone is.
Matthew Troy made the grim discovery as he went for a walk around the pond on Saturday.
Police launched an investigation after the remains were found at Chadwick Dam, off Mellor Road.
The site is a former mill pond and has been drained recently for cleaning as part of a £1m project to revitalise the area, including nearby Stamford Boating Lake.
Matthew said the bone was found lying in mud surrounded by sticks. The 20-year-old added: “I used to fish at that pond and it has recently been dredged before being refilled with water and restocked with fish. I went to see how it looked since they put the fish back. The bone caught my eye because of the size of it.
“I had a closer look, saw that it looked burnt and was on top of debris that had been dredged from the pond. It was a couple of feet from the water.
“I am a first aider and I recognised it was a femur. I called the police on my mobile from the scene and an officer came out.
“Once he saw it they began taking it really seriously. The area was cordoned off and forensic officers were there Saturday and Sunday and police divers were sent to check the pond.”
Matthew, who lives near the pond, and works as a diver for a firm which carries out swimming pool maintenance, made the discovery at about 4pm on Saturday.
A stretch of the canal between Tesco and the bridge on Ashton Road West was cordoned off overnight into Sunday.
GMP confirmed the left femur, has been sent off for DNA testing and carbon dating. They said as a matter of ‘standard practice’ they would be liaising with the hospital.
Detective Inspector Dave Loughlin, from GMP’s Tameside borough, said: “We are doing everything we can to not only understand how this bone came to be here but also who it belonged to.
“While we are waiting on the test results we will continue our enquiries but ultimately, a lot of the key information we need will be in those results which unfortunately do take time to come back.
“We are aware of speculation about the bone, particularly discolouration. Until we have the test results we are not in any position to confirm what happened. Lots of circumstances could result in discolouration, including decomposition because of damp conditions.”