Bristol: Everything we know about the manhunt for human remains in suitcases at Clifton Suspension Bridge

Do you really support
independent journalism

Find out moreClose

Our mission is to provide unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds the powerful to account and exposes the truth.

Whether it’s $5 or $50, every contribution counts.

Support us in practicing journalism without an agenda.

A man was arrested in Bristol after two suitcases containing human remains were found on the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The 24-year-old was arrested by armed officers in the early hours of Saturday morning. Police say they are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this horrific discovery.

On Friday, forensic officers were seen entering and leaving a property in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, after more human remains were found there. The remains in London are believed to be linked to those in Bristol and are believed to be those of two male victims.

Police believe the suspect travelled from London to Bristol on Wednesday, shortly before the suitcases were found.

At 11.57pm on Wednesday 10 July, officers were called to the scene at the Clifton Suspension Bridge after a man was observed exhibiting suspicious behaviour on the bridge.

Ten minutes later, officers arrived and said the man had fled and probably left a suitcase behind. After a brief search of the area, a second suitcase with similar contents was found nearby.

Follow The Independent’s live coverage for the latest updates on this story

Police later confirmed that the man had left the bridge in the direction of Leigh Woods, which leads out of Bristol.

An anonymous eyewitness has told reporters that he saw a man being chased by a cyclist on the bridge on Wednesday evening. The person said they saw the man running down Burwalls Road, a residential road leading to Rownham Hill, on the out-of-town side of the bridge.

They said there were two suitcases – the one left on the bridge had blood coming out of it, while the other suitcase was on the road just over the bridge on the Leigh Woods side.

said Live broadcast from Bristol: “There was blood on the ground along the bridge.

“The man with the suitcases ran away from the bridge staff and I saw a passerby on a bicycle chasing him – he was shouting something in Spanish.”

According to witness Giles Malone, another passerby apparently stopped to help two men who were carrying the suitcases across part of the bridge.

He told LBC that the woman joked with the suspect, saying: “These are the heaviest suitcases I have ever lifted. What are in them? Bodies?”

Mr Malone added: “We kind of joked about it, but they didn’t say anything.”

Officials said the suspect arrived at the scene by taxi. They confirmed that the driver and his vehicle had been found and he is now assisting with the investigation.

The news comes as a separate search is underway in Bristol for 22-year-old Jack O’Sullivan, a university student who disappeared more than four months ago. He was last seen leaving a party in the Hotwells area, which lies at the foot of the suspension bridge.

In a post on the search’s official Facebook group, one of the organizers, Georgie Wooler, said: “There is currently no evidence to suggest that this is related to the search for Jack.”

The police confirmed that they believe there is no connection with the case of the missing student.

Carla Denyer, new Green MP for Bristol Central, reacted to the news, writing on X: “I am deeply disturbed by the horrific discovery of human remains overnight at Clifton Suspension Bridge.

“Disturbing events like this are concerning to all of us who call Bristol home and are proud of our city.

“Thank you @ASPolice for your quick action. I am in contact with the authorities and will do everything I can to support a prompt and thorough investigation.”

The toll bridge – free and open to pedestrians – is a Grade II listed building and part of the B3129 road. It spans the River Avon and woodland on the outskirts of Bristol and is 248 feet high at its highest point. It links the borough of Clifton with Leigh Woods, a village in North Somerset.

The Clifton area is one of the most expensive in Bristol, with the average house price being £481,798, around £100,000 more than the city average.