Archaeologists have finished excavating the primary scene in the renewed search for Moorish victim Keith Bennett and have found “no visible evidence” of human remains, according to police.
taller Manchester Police said “no bones, substances or objects of interest” have been found in the area recently brought to police attention by a member of the public who had been investigating the schoolboy’s murder.
The search continues in the wider area of Saddleworth Moor in the Peak Districtand soil samples were taken for analysis.
Forensic archaeologists and forensic anthropologists have now completed a methodical archaeological dig and survey of the area previously dug and refilled by the public. No bones, fabrics or objects of interest were recovered from the ground.
Keith was 12 when he was murdered by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in 1964, and his body was never recovered.
Last month, the Daily Mail reported that author Russell Edwards believed he had found the boy’s makeshift grave on Saddleworth Moor, and archaeologists began searching the area on Sept. 30.
On Tuesday, GMP said a “close survey of the original area” had been completed and officers moved to the surrounding area to make sure nothing was missed.
Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Hughes said: “Forensic archaeologists and forensic anthropologists have now completed a methodical archaeological dig and survey of the area previously dug and refilled by the public.
“No bones, fabrics or objects of interest have been extracted from the ground.
“These accredited and certified forensic experts are now proceeding with a methodical and controlled excavation of the area immediately around the original site to provide a higher level of assurance about the presence or absence of items of interest.
“Other soil samples have been taken for analysis, but at the moment there is no visible evidence of human remains.
“The investigation of the site is ongoing.”
She added: “We have seen the outpouring of support since this news came out, so know what our communities feel about this matter, but we ask the public not to travel to the area and can assure them that we receive timely and appropriate will provide updates.”
Detective Hughes said GMP will keep Keith’s family informed at every stage of the search.
Keith was last seen by his mother in the early evening of 16 June 1964 after he left the house in Eston Street, Longsight, Manchester, on his way to his grandmother’s house nearby.
Brady and Hindley killed a total of five people and three were later found buried on Saddleworth Moor.
The victims were: Pauline Reade, 16, who disappeared on her way to a disco on July 12, 1963; John Kilbride, 12, who was abducted in November of the same year; Lesley Ann Downey, 10, who was lured away from a funfair on Boxing Day 1964; and Edward Evans, 17, who was murdered in October 1965.
Brady and Hindley were caught after the murder of Edward Evans and the bodies of Lesley and John were found in the moor.
They were taken to Saddleworth Moor to help police find the remains of the other victims, but only Pauline’s body was recovered.
Brady claimed he couldn’t remember where he buried Keith.
In 2009, police said a secret search of the moor, using a wealth of scientific experts, also failed to find a trace of the boy.
Hindley died in prison in 2002 at the age of 60, and Brady died in a high-security hospital in 2017 at the age of 79.
In 2012 — 48 years after Keith’s death — his mother, Winnie Johnson, died at age 78 without fulfilling her wish to give him a Christian funeral.