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Murder detectives
believe a chainsaw may have been used to dismember the body which
was found in a ditch on Dartmoor on Monday evening.
Police today said the victim was a middle-aged man who may have
been killed with an axe. The body was found by a local couple in
a 25-foot-long culvert running under a road near Clearbrook.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the man may have been killed
having been hit below the back of the head with a heavy, sharp object.
The naked body was dismembered with a power tool, possibly a chainsaw,
and the remains set alight near the entrance of the culvert within
the last two or three days.
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Clue
Hunt: Tactical Aid Group officers carried out fingertip searches
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Detective Superintendent
Phil Sincock, who's leading the murder inquiry, says it's too early
to identify the exact details of the killing, but is appealing
for people who may noticed any suspicious activity in the area to
come forward. The fire could have been seen by a passerby, as it
would have generated a lot of smoke.
It's possible
the man could have been the victim of a gangland killing, but police
are keeping an open mind about the motive.
The scene
was sealed off while a detailed investigation was carried out. Tactical
Aid Group officers carried out fingertip searches of the area and
an incident room was set up at Crownhill police station in Plymouth.
The body was
taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital for a post-mortem examination
after being examined at the scene by the Home Office pathologist.
Police are keen
to identify the victim, who they've described as a white male, aged
50 to 60, around 5' 6" tall. He was of stocky build, clean-shaven,
with short brown hair that receeded at the temples and was greying.
He also had a prominent chin, a lot of body hair and his feet were
quite small.
More than 30
officers are working on the case, following up forensic information,
carrying out house-to-house inquiries and following up a number
of calls they've had from members of the public.
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