The search for the body of one of the Moors murder victim Keith Bennett continues for a second day, after ‘potential human remains’ were recently found on the moorlands.
Police guarded the scene at Saddleworth Moor overnight after part of a skull believed to belong to the boy was recently unearthed in a remote location by an amateur sleuth.
Keith Bennett, 12, was one of five children tortured and killed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in the 1960s. His remains are believed to be buried somewhere in the moors but his body has never been recovered.
The search comes after Greater Manchester Police were contacted by an author who ‘informed that he had discovered what he believes are potential human remains in a remote location on the Moors.’
His discovery prompted a wider excavation of the area by fire crews and specialist GMP officers, who continued the search on Saturday morning.
It will take weeks before the skull fragment can be identified, but forensic experts are hopeful any additional remains discovered at the scene will soon be confirmed as belonging to Keith.
It is understood a tiny piece of clothing has also been found buried 3ft underground beside the suspected skull.
Keith Bennett was just 12 years old when he was lured into the back of a van by Myra Hindley, who drove off to a lay-by on Saddleworth Moor with her lover and fellow killer Ian Brady and murdered the young boy.
The twisted couple’s four other victims, Pauline Reade, 16, John Kilbride, Lesley Ann Downey, 10, and Edward Evans, 17 were found buried in a similar area of moorland, several decades ago, but Keith’s body has never been found.
The fresh evidence comes courtesy of author and amateur sleuth Russell Edwards, who reportedly spent over seven years studying the cold case after developing a ‘lifelong obsession’ with unsolved mysteries.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: ‘It has been a lifelong obsession for me with big unsolved cases. I started delving into the story, what Brady’s fascinations were.’
Edwards said he focused much of his search on an area of the moors called Eagle Rock, an area Brady is thought to have revisited with a former GMP detective after his imprisonment in 1966.
He recalled: ‘I looked at the significance of Eagle Rock as that is where Brady wanted to revisit at the time Peter Topping was interviewing him. They never looked any further there but my biggest question was why not?’
Following an extensive survey of the area, Edwards carried out several searches but his efforts turned up nothing. But after almost giving up following several aborted attempts, Edwards decided to carry out one last search of the moorland in July in the hope of finding a clue about the whereabouts of Mr Bennett.
He told the Mail: ‘I walked down from Eagle Rock. If I saw anything as I walked down there I thought I will take a sample. At the end of the day I looked at the hill and I thought I’m not going back that way. It is very treacherous ground.
‘In the middle of long grass was a white patch. It was a completely different colour, it had no growth on it. I thought that was odd. I thought I might as well take a sample of this… It was a grave size about 5ft by about 3ft.
‘Most of the time when you are taking soil samples, you always hit granite or stone. That time the sample went in really easily suggesting it may have been previously dug.’
GMP Force Review Officer Martin Bottomley said: “At around 11.25am on Thursday 29 September 2022, Greater Manchester Police was contacted by the representative of an author who has been researching the murder of Keith Bennett, a victim of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.
‘Following direct contact with the author, we were informed that he had discovered what he believes are potential human remains in a remote location on the Moors and he agreed to meet with officers yesterday afternoon to elaborate on his find and direct us to a site of interest.
‘The site was assessed late last night and, this morning, specialist officers have begun initial exploration activity.
‘We are in the very early stages of assessing the information which has been brought to our attention but have made the decision to act on it in line with a normal response to a report of this kind.
‘It is far too early to be certain whether human remains have been discovered and this is expected to take some time.
‘We have always said that GMP would act on any significant information which may lead to the recovery of Keith and reunite him with his family.
‘As such, we have informed his brother of the potential development – he does not wish to be contacted at this time and asks that his privacy is respected.’
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