Dismembered man died of stab wound

Apr 14 2009

A man whose dismembered body was found in five countryside locations died of a stab wound to the back.

The man's torso, right arm and upper left arm were found in a ditch on Saturday evening, the latest in a series of grim discoveries across Leicestershire and Hertfordshire.

The badly-decomposed remains were spotted by a walker in Gore Lane, near the old A10 in Standon, in east Hertfordshire.

Police believe the killer, or killers, drove several hundred miles across the two counties dumping body parts along the way.

Despite the long drive, little effort was made to hide the body parts, which were discovered over three weeks from late last month.

On March 22 a left leg and foot were found in a green holdall in a lay-by on the A507 in Cottered, Hertfordshire.

A week later an arm, dismembered at the elbow and wrist, was discovered on a grass verge in Wheathampstead, about a 40-minute drive from Cottered.

Two days later, on March 31, a farmer discovered the head near a cemetery in Asfordby, Leicestershire - about 95 miles from Wheathampstead via the M1 and A606.

A motorist then found a right leg in a lay-by near the A10 Puckeridge bypass in Hertfordshire on April 7.

From the physical evidence, police have created a picture of a man who suffered poor health before his death. He had eczema, "bleaching" discoloration to the skin around his ankle and toenails disfigured with a fungal infection. Officers said the man was missing two front teeth and had been for several years. He was between 5ft 6in and 5ft 10in with feet sized seven to nine.