Police have released images of the man they are searching for after two suitcases of human remains were found at Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.
Avon and Somerset Police said they are still trying to identify the man in the picture.
A manhunt was launched after officers were called to reports of a man seen acting suspiciously at the bridge at 11.57pm on Wednesday.
Officers arrived within ten minutes, but the man had already left the scene, leaving a suitcase behind. A second suitcase was found nearby.
A neighbour told The Independent that one suitcase was dumped on the bridge, with a second left in bushes.
The local said bridge security staff raised the alarm after they saw blood coming out of the case.
On Thursday night, the search continued in an area on the Leigh Woods side of the bridge, where the suspect was last seen heading on CCTV.
Key Points
- Suitcases found ‘containing human remains’ at Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol
- Image of suspect released
- Locating man and identifying human remains are ‘immediate priority’
- Eyewitness saw man being chased by cyclist as he ran from bridge staff
- Area where suitcases were left ‘searched immediately’ by police
Police helicopter and Coastguard helping force to locate man
01:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A police helicopter and the Coastguard are helping the force locate the man, who was taken to the bridge in a taxi.
The picture released by police shows a black man with a beard, wearing a black Adidas baseball cap, black jeans, a black jacket, black trainers with thick white soles and had a black backpack.
The force have urged people not to approach him and call 999 if he is sighted, but have said they are unaware of any current risk to the wider public.
Man ‘taken to bridge in a taxi,’ police say
Friday 12 July 2024 00:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police said they have established that “the man was taken to the bridge in a taxi”.
Acting Bristol Commander Vicks Hayward-Melen said in a statement: “This vehicle has been seized and the driver is helping us with our enquiries”.
Locating man and identifying human remains are ‘immediate priority’
Thursday 11 July 2024 23:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Avon and Somerset Police said their “immediate priority” was to locate the man and identify the human remains.
Officers were called to reports of a man seen acting suspiciously at the bridge at 11.57pm on Wednesday.
They arrived at the scene within ten minutes, but the man had already left the scene leaving the suitcase behind. A second suitcase was found nearby a short time later.
Bristol: Everything we know as ‘human remains’ found in suitcases at Clifton Suspension Bridge
Thursday 11 July 2024 22:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Image of suspect issued after suitcases with human remains found at Clifton Suspension Bridge
Thursday 11 July 2024 21:59
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police have released two images of a man they are searching for after two suitcases containing human remains were found on Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.
Avon and Somerset Police said they are still trying to identify the bearded man wearing a black cap in the pictures issued to the media on Thursday afternoon.
The forced launched a manhunt after officers were called to reports of a man seen acting suspiciously at the bridge at 11.57pm on Wednesday.
Bridge staff raised alarm after seeing blood leak from suitcase
Thursday 11 July 2024 21:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A neighbour told The Independent one suitcase was dumped on the bridge, with a second left in the bushes nearby, Amy-Clare Martin reports.
The local said bridge security staff raised the alarm after they saw blood coming out of the case.
Eyewitness saw man being chased by cyclist as he ran from bridge staff
Thursday 11 July 2024 20:30
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
An eyewitness said they saw a man being chased by a cyclist on Clifton Suspension Bridge on Wednesday evening.
The person, who wished to remain anonymous, said they saw the man run down Burwalls, a residential lane leading to Rownham Hill.
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.
The eyewitness added that the man who ran off was shouting in Spanish.
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.”
Suitcases found ‘containing human remains’ at Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol
Thursday 11 July 2024 20:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A manhunt has been launched after two suitcases filled with human remains were left at Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.
Police said they were called to reports of a man acting suspiciously at the bridge at 11.57pm on Wednesday.
Officers arrived within ten minutes but the man had already left, leaving a suitcase behind. A second suitcase was located a short while later.
Bristol: Everything we know as ‘human remains’ found in suitcases at Clifton Suspension Bridge
Thursday 11 July 2024 19:30
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
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.
Watch: Police release image of suspect after human remains found at Clifton Suspension Bridge
Thursday 11 July 2024 19:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
What do we know so far?
Thursday 11 July 2024 18:30
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The press conference brought us a CCTV picture of the man wanted by police as the search continues for the man, last seen 16 hours ago fleeing the Clifton suspension bridge toward Leigh Woods, Alex Ross reports.
Acting Bristol commander Vicks Hayward-Melen was keen to remind people to call 999 if the man is seen.
Search operations remain in the Bristol area and the taxi driver who dropped the man off continues to assist officers. The taxi has been seized.
As for the human remains, the postmortem is not yet complete, so the person has not been identified, or sex or age given.
The family of Jack O’Sullivan, who went missing over four months ago, has been contacted, but there are no active parallels to the case we were told.
Finally, police officers who responded to the incident last night have been offered support due to the disturbing nature of the incident.
‘We are all watching this with interest'
Thursday 11 July 2024 18:01
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
This is a case of huge interest in Bristol and there were dozens of members of the public who watched the press conference at the bridge, Alex Ross reports from the scene.
Among them was a man who lives near the Leigh Woods side of the bridge.
“I heard the helicopter over us last night after the football then woke up this morning to see the news on the human remains,” he said.
“What I find strange was we had no knock at the door from the police, or searches of our properties. He could’ve been hiding in a shed.
“We are all watching this with interest.”
Thursday 11 July 2024 17:30
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Ross reports from the scene in Bristol:
We’ve just heard from police that the search for the suspect is continuing, as a picture of the wanted man was held on a piece of paper to watching members of the press.
After the cameras had rolled, acting Bristol commander Vicks Hayward-Melen told me that the search was contained to Bristol at this stage - although it has to be said that searching officers can not be seen on the Clifton side of the bridge.
I understand that a large part of the search is scouring CCTV of the area, but there are still teams searching on the ground for the man.
Police still ‘working out’ who suspect is
Thursday 11 July 2024 17:17
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Avon and Somerset Police said they were still “working out” who the suspect is.
A police helicopter and the Coastguard are helping the force locate the man, who was taken to the bridge in a taxi.
The picture released by police shows a black man with a beard, wearing a black Adidas baseball cap, black jeans, a black jacket, black trainers with thick white soles and had a black backpack.
The force have urged people not to approach him and call 999 if he is sighted, but have said they are unaware of any current risk to the wider public.
Image of suspect released
Thursday 11 July 2024 16:50
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
In a press conference at the scene in Bristol, police released an image of the man they are searching for after two suitcases believed to contain human remains were found at Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Acting Bristol commander Vicks Hayward-Melen said the man left in the direction of Leigh Woods.
People gather by Clifton Suspension Bridge
Thursday 11 July 2024 16:36
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Ross reports from Bristol:
Several people have gathered on the grass bank on the Clifton side of the Clifton Suspension Bridge intrigued over the press activity as we wait for the police press conference.
Daniel Heppner was in Bristol for a day from London with a friend, and went to see the bridge when he discovered it was closed.
He’s now waiting to hear what the police say as we expect an update on the investigation.
The 26-year-old said: “It is alarming that he hasn’t been found yet from what we know, and it’s very strange, what with him leaving suitcases like this.
“It feels like there is a lot more to this story than we know currently. I expect we’ll find out soon.”
Thursday 11 July 2024 16:27
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
As we wait for Avon and Somerset Police to give a press conference, it’s relatively peaceful here with the road over the Clifton Suspension Bridge, which carries around 11,000 vehicles each day, empty, Alex Ross reports from Bristol.
Police are stationed at tape either side of the bridge which links Clifton with Leigh Woods, taking pedestrians, cyclists and cars over the River Avon.
When the manhunt started there were searches of the area by police officers on the ground, as well as the national police air service and HM Coastguard.
But there is no sign of a search taking place here now.A white tent can be seen on the Leigh Woods side of the bridge outside the Clifton Suspension Bridge visitor centre.
Reports from an eye witness suggest the man fled on the Leigh Woods side of the bridge. As far as we know, he’s not been caught.
Questions for the police at the press conference will be where is the search taking place and have the human remains been identified.
Thursday 11 July 2024 15:49
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Our reporter Alex Ross is on the scene near Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol:
It has now been 15 hours since police received reports of a man with a suitcase behaving suspiciously on the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
When officers arrived, he had fled leaving a suitcase behind. A second suitcase was found a short time later.
Both cases are believed to have contained human remains. The bridge is still shut with a white forensic tent on the Leigh Woods side of the iconic bridge.
Forensic officers appear to no longer be here and police officers are here to guard the cordons at both ends of the bridge.
It is warm and the grass banks either side of the bridge on the Clifton side are filled with people sunbathing while the road leading to the bridge, usually busy with cars at this time of day, is empty.
MP for Bristol Central ‘deeply disturbed’ by discovery of human remains in suitcases
Thursday 11 July 2024 15:44
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Carla Denyer, MP for Bristol Central, said she was “deeply disturbed” by the discovery of human remains in two suitcases at Clifton Suspension Bridge and thanked the police for their “swift action”.
The Green Party co-leader posted on X: “I am deeply disturbed by the horrifying discovery of human remains at Clifton Suspension Bridge overnight.
“Distressing events like this are unsettling for all of us who call Bristol home and are proud of our city.
“Thank you ASPolice for your swift action. I am in contact with authorities and will do anything I can to support a swift and thorough investigation.”
I am deeply disturbed by the horrifying discovery of human remains at Clifton Suspension Bridge overnight.
— Carla Denyer (@carla_denyer) July 11, 2024
Distressing events like this are unsettling for all of us who call Bristol home and are proud of our city
Thank you @ASPolice for your swift action. I am in contact with… https://t.co/pL6OtY9CVy
Bristol: Everything we know as ‘human remains’ found in suitcases at Clifton Suspension Bridge
Thursday 11 July 2024 15:40
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
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.
Albert Toth reports:
Bristol Bridge Manhunt: Mapped
Thursday 11 July 2024 15:33
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Bridge staff raised alarm after seeing blood leak from suitcase
Thursday 11 July 2024 15:13
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A neighbour told The Independent one suitcase was dumped on the bridge, with a second left in the bushes nearby, Amy-Clare Martin reports.
The local said bridge security staff raised the alarm after they saw blood coming out of the case.
Eyewitness saw man being chased by cyclist as he ran from bridge staff
Thursday 11 July 2024 14:57
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
An eyewitness said they saw a man being chased by a cyclist on Clifton Suspension Bridge on Wednesday evening.
The person, who wished to remain anonymous, said they saw the man run down Burwalls, a residential lane leading to Rownham Hill.
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.
The eyewitness added that the man who ran off was shouting in Spanish.
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.”
In pictures: The scene at Clifton Suspension Bridge
Thursday 11 July 2024 14:34
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Forensic investigators seen working behind a police cordon near Clifton Suspension Bridge
Thursday 11 July 2024 14:19
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Forensics investigators in white suits were seen working behind a police cordon near the Clifton Suspension Bridge on Thursday afternoon.
A large cordon is in place, with the bridge and visitor centre expected to be closed throughout Thursday.
Clifton Bridge and Visitor Centre closed all day
Thursday 11 July 2024 13:53
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A traffic update was posted on the Clifton Suspension Bridge X page this morning.
It said: “Due to a police incident, the Bridge and Visitor Centre are CLOSED all day today (11th JULY) to ALL traffic and pedestrians. We apologise for the disruption.”
TRAFFIC UPDATE: Due to a police incident, the Bridge and Visitor Centre are CLOSED all day today (11th JULY) to ALL traffic and pedestrians. We apologise for the disruption.@heartsouthwest @BBCRB @BBCBristol @HitsBristol @onelovebrekky @Ujimaradio @bbcpointswest
— Clifton Suspension Bridge (@brunelsbridge) July 11, 2024
Roads surrounding bridge remain closed today
Thursday 11 July 2024 13:45
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The roads around the bridge, as well as surrounding footpaths, remain closed on Thursday while specialist crime scene investigators examine the area. They are expected to be closed all day.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge visitor centre is closed due to police activity, its operators said on social media.
A post-mortem examination will take place later on Thursday.
Locating man and identifying human remains are ‘immediate priority’
Thursday 11 July 2024 13:41
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Avon and Somerset Police said their “immediate priority” was to locate the man and identify the human remains.
Officers were called to reports of a man seen acting suspiciously at the bridge at 11.57pm on Wednesday.
They arrived at the scene within ten minutes, but the man had already left the scene leaving the suitcase behind. A second suitcase was found nearby a short time later.
Man ‘taken to bridge in a taxi,’ police say
Thursday 11 July 2024 13:39
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Police said they have established that “the man was taken to the bridge in a taxi”.
Acting Bristol Commander Vicks Hayward-Melen said in a statement: “This vehicle has been seized and the driver is helping us with our enquiries”.
Area where suitcases were left ‘searched immediately’ by police
Thursday 11 July 2024 13:33
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The area where the suitcases were left were searched immediately by officers on the ground, acting Bristol commander Vicks Hayward-Melen confirmed.
“An immediate search of the area was carried out by officers on the ground with the support of the National Police Air Service and HM Coastguard following the discovery of the suitcases. These searches remain ongoing.
“Initial enquiries have established the man was taken to the bridge in a taxi. This vehicle has been seized and the driver is helping us with our enquiries.
“Specialist crime scene investigators are currently examining the bridge and surrounding area and the bridge will remain closed while these enquiries are conducted.
“A forensic post mortem examination will take place later today.
“There is currently an increased police presence in the area and anyone who has concerns is encouraged to speak to an officer.”
‘A very disturbing incident'
Thursday 11 July 2024 13:28
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Acting Bristol Commander Vicks Hayward-Melen said: “This is a very disturbing incident and I fully recognise the concern it will be causing our communities.
“The investigation is being led by our Major Crime Investigation Team and involves specialist officers and staff from across our organisation.
“Our immediate priority is to locate the man who took the suitcases to the bridge, identify the deceased, and inform their next of kin.
“Specialist officers are ready to provide them with any support they need.”
Suitcases found ‘containing human remains’ at Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol
Thursday 11 July 2024 13:27
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A manhunt has been launched after two suitcases filled with human remains were left at Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol.
Police said they were called to reports of a man acting suspiciously at the bridge at 11.57pm on Wednesday.
Officers arrived within ten minutes but the man had already left, leaving a suitcase behind. A second suitcase was located a short while later.
Both are believed to contain human remains, police said.
Clifton Suspension Bridge opens
01:28
Alex Ross
After closing following the discovery of two suit cases containing human remains, the Clifton Suspension Bridge reopened at midnight on Thursday night to traffic.
Traffic Status: The Clifton Suspension Bridge is now open to all vehicles. One footway is open for use by pedestrians.
— Clifton Suspension Bridge (@brunelsbridge) July 11, 2024
Eyewitness saw ‘suitcase leaking blood’ on bridge as a man ran from the scene
Thursday 11 July 2024 21:41
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
An eyewitness said he spotted a suitcase leaking blood and a man running away from the scene late on Wednesday night.
The man, who out for a walk with his girlfriend when he saw the commotion unfold, told Bristol Live: “There were two suitcases, one left on the bridge with what appeared to be blood leaking from it, the other case was on the road just after the bridge on the Leigh Woods side.
“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.”
He ran off down Burwalls, a residential lane leading to Rownham Hill, according to the witness.
A neighbour told The Independent one suitcase was dumped on the bridge, with a second left in the bushes nearby.
The local said bridge security staff raised the alarm after they saw blood coming out of the case.