Two arrested on suspicion of murder after a 40-year-old woman was found dead on a street in Rochdale

A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 40-year-old woman was found dead on the footpath behind Sandbrook Park during the early hours of Monday morning (17 July).

Officers attended and sadly found a woman deceased at the scene and an investigation was launched to understand the circumstances leading to her death.

GMP subsequently declared the death as suspicious.

The victim can now be confirmed as Kerry Newman, who was a 40-year-old mother of two.

Kerry’s mother and stepfather described Kerry as “a loving daughter and mother of two boys, taken away from us too soon. She is now in heaven with the angels, rest in peace our beautiful girl.”

The family have requested privacy at this incredibly sad and difficult time.

GMP can confirm that two people – a 48-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody for further questioning.

Further enquiries also suggest that Kerry was taken from an address in Freehold to New Barn Lane in Rochdale where she was subsequently found deceased, of which the cause of her death is unknown.

Detective Chief Inspector Rachel Smith from GMP’s Major Incident Team said: “Once again, my sincere and heartfelt sympathies are to Kerry’s loved ones at this extremely difficult time. Our officers and specialist officers are supporting her family as this investigation continues and we will do everything we can to make sure we get justice for Kerry.

“The investigation into Kerry’s tragic death is moving at pace and we want to ensure justice is sought for Kerry and her loved ones. We are continuing to exhaust all possible enquiries and because of these efforts we have been able to arrest two suspects and they remain in custody for questioning.

“We are continuing to appeal to anyone with information relating to this incident to please come forward. This includes any witnesses, anyone with knowledge of the incident, CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage in relation to this incident. Any information you have may bring us one step closer to getting justice for Kerry.”

A dedicated Major Incident Public Portal has been opened to receive information, and you can directly submit images and mobile phone, dash-cam, or doorbell footage here.

Alternatively, the Major Incident Team can be contacted on 0161 856 4338 or report on our website using the ‘report’ tool: www.gmp.police.uk

The independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.