West Midlands Police yesterday renewed an appeal for witnesses to come forward and released new CCTV footage as they continue to investigate the murder of a man found sadly dead in a Kings Norton canal last weekend.
The body of local man Darren Round (48) was spotted by a passerby in the Worcestershire and Birmingham Canal close to Masshouse Lane at 8.40am on Saturday 15th February.
A subsequent post mortem found that Mr Round had suffered significant facial injuries, consistent with an assault before entering the water.
Timeline
Investigating officers are still trying to establish the events leading to his death.
It is known that Darren left his Kings Norton home at 7.30pm on the evening of Friday 14th February. He was wearing a light blue coat and a black rucksack and CCTV images show him at a local cashpoint machine at 7.40pm.
Officers say Darren then accessed the canal at Shannon Road / Masshouse Lane and walked in to the city centre. After spending some time at Five Ways, Darren returned to the Kings Norton area.
In newly released footage of the last sighting of Darren, he can be seen walking along the canal near to Wharf Road Bridge, in the direction of Shannon Tunnel at approximately 12.40am on the morning his body was found.
Following enquiries from homicide detectives, a 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder. He has since been released on police bail while investigations continue.
Appeal
Leading the investigation is Detective Chief Inspector Scott Griffiths. He said: “Our investigation is progressing, however we need to understand Darren’s movements from 7.30pm when he left home to when his body was tragically found in the canal.
“We believe Darren regularly walked on the canal network and knew the area well.
“We specifically want to speak to anyone walking, cycling or living along the stretch of canal, between Shannon Tunnel and Wharf Road Bridge who may know something.
“If you saw Darren walking, or saw or heard anything suspicious, we are urging to you contact us.
“This information, no matter how small it may seem, may help us pin together the events leading to Darren’s death.”
