Parents' plea to help find killer of drug-addict son

Darren Manders' badly decomposed remains were found in Starvation Clump, on the edge of Nunthorpe village, less than two miles from his parents' home at nearby Marton, Middlesbrough.

At a Press conference yesterday, his heartbroken parents, Terry and Lesley Manders, begged the public to help catch the 31-year-old father-of-two's killer or killers.

Mr Manders said: "If you can't find it in your hearts to do this for Darren, then think of his two beautiful sons. Do not let them live their lives wondering who took their dad from them.

"Losing him this way is killing us all. Please find who killed Darren; they must be caught.''

He said his son never left his parents without kissing his mother and telling his parents he loved them.

Mr Manders said: "Parents should not have to bury their children. We could not even say goodbye to our son.

"Someone knows who did this. Please help the police find who did this."

Unable to control her grief, Mrs Manders said: "Please ring and help. Darren did not deserve this, to die like that."

Their appeal came as Detective Superintendent Karnail Dulku said the heroin addict's body may have been callously dumped in the wood after being murdered elsewhere.

He said: "My gut reaction is he has not died in this wood. We have not been able to find any evidence of an attack scene. It is not to say he was not killed there, but I think it is unlikely.

"It appears to me he was killed somewhere else and his body taken to what is a remote wood. My instinct tells me it has not happened there.''

Det Supt Dulku said that by choosing the hard-to-find copse, the killer or killers had betrayed their knowledge of the area.

The police investigation has switched from Nunthorpe to Bow Street, in central Middlesbrough, where Darren shared a house with several others, and where he was last seen on June 5.

Anyone who can help is asked to call the incident room on (01642) 303188 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.