Keano Byrne: body found in Stockport in search for missing man and murder investigation launched

Police searching for missing Manchester man Keano Byrne have found a body in Stockport and launched a murder investigation.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the disappearance of 26-year-old Keano, from Gorton, is now being treated as a murder probe due to information officers have discovered during the search for him.

Sadly, a body has now been found in the water at a green space in the borough. Two men have been arrested and released pending further inquiries, police have said.

Formal identification of the body has yet to take place, but police are urging anyone with information about what has happened to Keano to come forward and speak to officers.

Body found in the search for missing Manchester man Keano Byrne

Keano was reported missing on Monday 27 March and police quickly launched an investigation. He had last been seen in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 26 March leaving Northumberland Road in Brinnington and walking towards Reddish Vale with another man.

Specialist teams of officers searched the area around Reddish Vale Country Park and a body was found in the water at around 12.10pm on Friday (7 April). Formal identification of the body has yet to take place.

However, GMP revealed that it is treating Keano’s disappearance as a murder investigation as enquiries during the search for him suggested to the police that he may have come to harm.

That resulted in two men, aged 26 and 30, being arrested as part of the investigation. They have now been released under investigation, GMP said on Friday (7 April).

What have police said about the investigation?

Detective Chief Inspector Liz Hopkinson, of GMP’s major incident team, said: “Clearly this is an upsetting time for Keano’s family and they are being kept informed of the ongoing investigation as well as being supported by specialist officers.

“Specialist teams from GMP have been searching for Keano and trying to establish what happened to him since he was reported missing. It is early stages of the investigation but we are determined to find out what happened to Keano so his family can have the answers they deserve.

“Formal identification has yet to take place but officers are treating his disappearance as a murder inquiry following information revealed during the investigation into his disappearance.

“We are asking for anyone who was in the Reddish Vale area in the early hours of Sunday 26 March between 3.30am and 6.30am, or who may have seen Keano after the time he went missing, to please contact police. No matter how small the information may seem, it may help us to piece together what has happened.

“We are looking for CCTV, dashcam footage, images, or any accounts of suspicious behaviour around that date as this will bring us one step closer to finding out what happened to Keano and help us understand the full circumstances.”

Information can be shared by calling GMPs Major Incident team on 0161 856 6377, or by using the LiveChat service on the GMP website. Anyone with information should quote log number 762-270323.