Dumped body parts from same man

More than 100 police officers are working on the case

A human head found in a Leicestershire field comes from the same body as an arm and a leg found dumped in Hertfordshire, police have revealed.

The male's head was found on Tuesday at Asfordby, while the leg was found in Cottered on 22 March and the arm in nearby Wheathampstead a week later.

Officers said the head had been "forensically linked" with the other body parts.

The cause of death and the man's name have not been determined.

Police said the man is a white or Asian adult between 5ft 6in and 5ft 10in tall.

His shoe size is believed to be between a 7 and a 9. He also has a skin condition which has caused discolouration in the pigmentation of the skin around the ankle giving a 'bleaching' effect, police said.

Examinations have concluded that the victim suffered from eczema which had caused the skin to "scale".

At a news conference in Leicestershire, officers from both counties said that in the light of this news the investigation would a joint operation by the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit (MCU) and officers from Leicestershire Constabulary.

Det Ch Insp Michael Hanlon, from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire MCU, said: "Officers from the investigating team will continue to meticulously check through missing person reports looking for a match of the description of the man.

"This will include checking dental records. A full DNA profile has been obtained and is not matched on the National DNA Database."

Det Supt Julia McKechnie on the investigation

He added: "Lines of enquiry which have come to light since the initial discovery are being followed up but at this stage no speculation can be made about how this man was murdered."

The head was discovered by a farmer beside a makeshift cattle pen near woodland and a cemetery.

The left leg, with the foot attached, was discovered in a green holdall behind a hedgerow next to a lay-by on the A507 just outside Cottered on 22 March.

The arm, which had been dismembered at the elbow and wrist, was found by a member of the public on a verge in Drovers Lane, Wheathampstead.

Police believe the leg was dumped within two days of its discovery and are now trying to establish if the other body parts were left at around the same time.