A manhunt is underway in Bristol after two suitcases believed to be containing human remains were found on Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Avon and Somerset Police said officers were called to the scene at 11.57pm on Wednesday 10 July after a man was seen acting suspiciously on the bridge.
Arriving ten minutes later, officers said the man had fled and is suspected to have left behind a suitcase. A second suitcase with similar contents was found nearby after a short search of the area.
Acting Bristol commander Vicky Hayward-Melen says the force’s priority is now locating the man who left the suitcases, and identifying the remains.
“This is a very disturbing incident and I fully recognise the concern it will be causing our communities,” said Ms Hayward-Melen.
“The investigation is being led by our major crime investigation team and involves specialist officers and staff from across our organisation.”
An anonymous eyewitness has told reporters that they saw a man being chased by a cyclist on the bridge on Wednesday evening. The person said they saw the man run down Burwalls Road, a residential lane which leads to Rownham Hill, on the side of the bridge outside of the city.
They said there were two suitcases: the one left on the bridge appeared to have blood leaking from it, while the other suitcase was on the road just after the bridge on the Leigh Woods side.
They told Bristol Live: “There was blood on the floor along the bridge.
“The man who had the cases ran from the bridge staff and I saw him being chased by a member of the public on a bike - he was shouting something in Spanish.”
A search has remained ongoing since the discovery of the suitcases, with Clifton Suspension Bridge remaining closed to the public. It is being carried out by local police with the assistance of the National Police Air Service and HM Coastguard.
Officers say the suspect arrived at the scene by taxi, and have confirmed that the driver and his vehicle had been located and is now helping with inquiries.
The force also confirmed a post-mortem examination will take place at some point on Thursday 11 July.
The news comes as a separate search is underway in Bristol for 22-year-old Jack O’Sullivan, a university student who went missing more than four months ago. He was last seen leaving a party in the Hotwells area, which sits at the bottom of the suspension bridge.
Writing on the official search Facebook group, one of the search organisers Georgie Wooler said: “At this time there is no indication that this is related to the search for Jack.”
All roads to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, located in west Bristol, have been cordoned off by police. The bridge connects the city’s Clifton neighbourhood to Leigh Woods, a village in North Somerset.
The toll bridge – free and open to pedestrians – is a Grade I listed building and forms part of the B3129 road. It spans over the River Avon and a forest area at the side out of Bristol, reaching 248ft at its highest point.
The Clifton neighbourhood is one of Bristol’s most expensive, with an average house price of £481,798 – around £100k more than the city average.
This story is ongoing, check back for further updates.
