Woman's skeleton found on Manchester building site

Some items of clothing were found near the skeleton

A murder inquiry is under way after a woman's skeleton was found wrapped in carpet on a building site in Manchester city centre.

The bones were unearthed after a skull was spotted by workmen at a site on Miller Street, near the CIS Tower.

It was treated as non suspicious until post-mortem tests found the woman had a fractured neck, collarbone and jaw.

Police are unsure how long the body has been there and are now looking through missing persons files.

Officers were called to the site at 1550 GMT on 25 January by workers who were preparing a car park for redevelopment.

We are reviewing all relevant missing person reports in an attempt to identify her Det Ch Insp Jeff McMahon

The remains of a white woman, aged between 16 and 30, were then excavated.

But Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it was unclear exactly how long the skeleton had been there.

A blue jumper and blue/green bra were recovered among the remains, while a green pinafore with large buttons was found nearby.

The pinafore has a distinctive design and police are hoping someone recognises the items.

Police are hoping someone recognises the clothing

Det Ch Insp Jeff McMahon, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "This woman's death is highly suspicious and we have a team of trained detectives trying to establish who she is and what has happened to her.

"We are reviewing all relevant missing person reports in an attempt to identify her but if you have any knowledge about the items of clothing we have recovered I would urge you to get in touch.

"Until we are able to establish further facts it would be inappropriate to speculate on how long this woman has been dead or how exactly she died."

'Hell upon earth'

The land where the skeleton was found is a redevelopment site located between Angel Street, Dantzic Street and Miller Street.

The area is known as Angel Meadow, a notorious Manchester slum in the mid-19th Century which was famously described by social reformer Friedrich Engels as "hell upon earth".

Construction work on the Co-operative Group's new £100m headquarters is ongoing in the area.

Police investigations are continuing and anyone with information is asked to contact the GMP Major Incident Team.