Fifth day of search for body of Moors Murders victim Keith fails to find human remains

A FIVE-DAY police search for the body of Moors Murders victim Keith Bennett, launched after a tip-off from an amateur sleuth, has yet to find any human remains.

Russell Edwards, a true-crime author, told police he thought he may have found the final resting place of the 12-year-old, murdered by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in 1964.

He claimed to have come across what appeared to be a skull during his search of Saddleworth Moor, a finding that, he said, was lent credence by analysis of soil samples.

Mr Edwards told the Daily Mail he had been exploring the theory that Brady, who died in 2017, was trying to create the shape of a swastika with the burial sites of his victims.

The author has previously published a book with findings claiming to unmask Jack the Ripper.

Greater Manchester Police launched what was described as a “meticulous” search for Keith on Friday. The force said the soil samples obtained by Mr Edwards had been sent to “accredited experts for analysis”, which is ongoing.

Despite the lack of concrete evidence for Mr Edwards’s claims, the force said it had deployed “additional resources” to complete a “more extensive examination of the area”. Det Ch Insp Cheryl Hughes, the senior investigating officer, said: “Forensic archaeologists and anthropologists have now completed a methodical archaeological excavation and examination of the area previously dug and refilled by the public.

“No bones, fabric or items of interest were recovered. These accredited and certified forensic experts are now continuing with a methodical and controlled excavation of the area immediately surrounding the original site to provide a higher level of assurance of the presence or absence of any items of interest. Further soil samples have been taken for analysis, but at this time there is no visible evidence to suggest the presence of human remains.”