Mystery in Mansfield: Police seek clues to garden bodies

Current residents aren't under suspicion, as the remains are at least a decade old

The remains of two people have been found in the garden of a house in Blenheim Close, Forest Town, near Mansfield (PA)

Forensic teams are continuing to excavate the back garden of a suburban semi-detached house after the discovery of the remains of two people.

The bodies are believed to date back at least a decade and police are trying to trace previous owners of the property in a quiet cul de sac in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

Neighbours said the house used to belong to a pensioner couple who “disappeared” several years ago.

Police, who were acting after receiving information last week, said the find had nothing to do with the present occupants and was linked to “an incident in the late 1990s”. No one has been arrested in connection with the discovery.

A post mortem examination was underway but it is expected it will take several weeks or even months before the remains are identified.

Detectives will also examine missing persons’ reports in a bid to discover the identity of the potential victims.

People living in Blenheim Close said the house had stood empty until about seven years ago when new people moved in. Officers have been attempting to trace family members of the pensioner couple in recent days.

A 51-year-old woman, who lives in the street with her partner and 16-year-old son, said she had only seen the couple a few times.

“But they never had any visitors. I never saw anyone coming or going. My friend and I always used to say 'I wonder what happened to that couple'. They just disappeared. We thought they had emigrated," she said.

Inspector Mark Webster, of Nottinghamshire Police, said the two bodies had now been removed from the address.

He said there was no risk to anyone living in the community and urged anyone with information to come forward.

“As a result of information we received in force last week we commenced a search at premises on Blenheim Close in the Forest Town area of Mansfield and yesterday we uncovered the bodies of two people,” he said.