A mother taking her children on a teddy bear hunt in Kent was horrified to discover a suitcase containing human remains in a wooded area. The discovery occurred on Friday at Borstal Recreation Ground during a fundraiser for a local nursery.
Discovery at the park
The mother, who wished to remain anonymous, told KentOnline: 'I saw the luggage before the police. I was with my niece and nephew, so I was busy keeping them from seeing it. What I saw was the suitcase covered in hundreds of flies. I actually heard the buzzing from them first. I noticed that it was a large suitcase and had a snow sledge next to it.'
The park, usually a quiet and family-friendly area, was cordoned off as police launched an investigation. Ivan Tsvetkov, 38, a warehouse worker who was playing with his child at the park around 7:30pm, said: 'I can't imagine something like this happening at the park. I play there with my child. There are always loads of people there, so I am shocked by it. It's a nice quiet area and I wouldn't expect something like that here.'
Murder investigation
The day before the discovery, police had been alerted to a potential murder at a flat on Kingfisher Court in Wandsworth, more than 30 miles away. No one was found at the property, but after a search, officers believed someone had come to harm and a murder investigation was launched. Shortly after, two men aged 27 and 32 from Wandsworth went to a police station and were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Detectives charged Joshua Miller, 32, of Kingfisher Court, Wandsworth, with murder and preventing a lawful and decent burial. Jamie Cooper, 27, of the same address, was charged with preventing a lawful and decent burial. The Metropolitan Police stated that the victim and both men were known to each other. Both suspects are scheduled to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court.
