Murder investigation launched in Wigan after young woman killed in attack so 'brutal' police say such violence is rare

Senior officer says there will be 'a large police presence' in the area as they hunt for killer, adding 'things like this don’t happen in Orrell'

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Police have launched a murder investigation after a teenager was found dead in Orrell Water Park in Wigan following a "brutal attack".

The 18-year-old woman was reported missing by her family at 7.20pm on Friday, when she failed to return from college.

Her friends said she had last been near the reservoirs.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) searched the area and at around 2.30am on Saturday discovered a body.

Detective Superintendent Howard Millington, form GMP's Major Incident Team, said: "First of all my thoughts are with the woman's family at this devastating time.

"This was a brutal attack on a young woman [of a] type rarely seen in Greater Manchester.

"We have a full investigation team working on finding out what exactly happened to her and to try and find the person who did this."

The student, who had sustained head injuries, is yet to be formally identified.

Mr Millington added: "I understand that there will be many people in the community extremely worried, things like this don’t happen in Orrell, but I would like to reassure them that we are working as hard as we possibly can to get the answers to all of the questions.

"There will be a large police presence in the area for some time as we investigate and also on the streets surrounding the area as a precaution. If you have any concerns, please speak to our officers.

"This is very much an ongoing investigation, we will leave no stone unturned and myself and my team will not stop until we have found out exactly what happened and have brought whoever did this to justice."