A 67-year-old man has been named as the victim in a murder probe launched after human remains were discovered in a nature reserve, police have said.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said detectives believe the torso found in Kersal Dale Wetlands, near Salford, was that of Stuart Everett, who lived in the local area.

On Monday, Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski, 68, and Marcin Majerkiewicz, 42, were charged with murder.

Formal identification has yet to take place but DNA samples have been sent for urgent forensic analysis to confirm the identity, the force said.

The torso – consisting of the bottom of the back, buttocks and thigh – had been wrapped in clear plastic and was discovered by a passer-by on April 4.

Remains were found at two more locations over the weekend, and on Monday morning police said there had been a further discovery in an alleyway close to railway lines off Worsley Road.

A force spokesman said: “Specially trained family liaison officers from GMP have been deployed to support Stuart’s family during this incredibly difficult time. In the last 48 hours they have heard the most devastating news that anyone could hear, and our thoughts remain with them as they begin to process this.

“Our fast-moving investigation has rapidly progressed over the last three days, and throughout the investigation we have seen many resources deployed to Salford.”

Investigations are continuing to build a fuller picture of the circumstances which led to Mr Everett’s death.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes, from GMP’s Serious Crime Division, said: “My officers and detectives, alongside additional resources from across the force, have worked tirelessly over the last three days to secure charges.

“We are grateful for the public’s continued help and support throughout this case. We understand the shockwaves this has caused throughout the community and beyond, and we hope you are reassured by the pace of our investigation and also our large police presence in the areas as we continue to make inquiries.

“We have officers drawn from different teams and units in GMP who have helped us search, and their efforts do not go unnoticed, and they have all played an important role to help us get to this stage in our investigation.

“We said right at the start that our investigation will not stop until we have every stone unturned, and this continues to be the case. Our investigation has been a huge process so far, and we will continue to push forward in our inquiries to find answers for Stuart’s family.”

Polchowski and Majerkiewicz, both of Worsley Road, Eccles, were remanded in custody after appearing at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday and will next appear in court on July 18 for a plea and trial preparation hearing.

A provisional trial date of March 3 next year was fixed by Judge Nicholas Dean KC, the Honorary Recorder of Manchester.

At Mr Everett’s home address in the Winton area of Salford, police crime scene investigators were still working at the property, with two police cars and two police vans parked outside.

Officers in white boiler suits and face masks could be seen entering the property, a two-storey Victorian semi-detached house on a busy main road, with the garden backing on to a children’s nursery.

His next door neighbour said, along with other shocked neighbours, she did not wish to speak to reporters at this time.

A woman at the Wilno Polish Centre, around 500 yards from Mr Everett’s home, said the two men arrested, who are Polish speakers, were not known to them.