Avon and Somerset Police have arrested three men as part of an ongoing murder investigation, launched after the body of a man was discovered on Christmas Eve in a village just north of Bath.
The body of Mohammed Abdurezek, aged 31, was found in Gibbs Lane, Siston, South Gloucestershire on 24th December by a dog walker.
A post mortem confirmed he had died from multiple stab wounds.
Three men, one aged 42 and two 22, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.
Police enquiries into the incident are continuing, including a search of St George’s House in Church Drive in the St Georges area of Bristol.
DCI James Riccio, who is leading the inquiry, said: “We have a team of officers and staff working tirelessly to find out who killed Mohammed and why.
“We don’t believe he was murdered at the location where his body was found and we’re actively tracing his movements in the hours and days leading up to his death to establish where he was killed.
“Our focus is also on trying to identify the vehicle used to transport Mohammed’s body to Siston and CCTV is being examined from the local area.
“I’m urging the public to help with this inquiry and call us if they have can assist with any of our key appeal points:
- Did you see or speak to Mohammed in the hours or days leading up to Christmas Eve morning when his body was found?
- Did you see a suspicious vehicle or a parked vehicle in the area around Gibbs Lane sometime between the evening Wednesday 21 December and Christmas Eve morning?
- Have you seen a car being driven suspiciously or anyone acting suspiciously around the Siston area, or other rural locations nearby in the same timeframe?
- Have you found a mobile phone or any identification which may have belonged to Mohammed?
- Did you see someone being assaulted and haven’t reported the incident to the police?
“We’re in contact with some of Mohammed’s friends and associates to try and trace any family members or next of kin, who we believe live abroad. He was based in Bristol but has links to other locations in the UK, including Swansea and Newcastle.
“I’d like to thank the local community in Siston as residents have been fully supportive of our inquiry.
“I firmly believe someone has information which could help establish who killed Mohammed and why and I’d ask them to call us immediately.”
If you can help, call the Major Crime Investigation Team on 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5216284767 or use the inquiry name Operation Neptune.
If you don’t want to speak to the police, you can speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
