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| Murder suspect found hanged in derelict building | Murder suspect found hanged in derelict building |
| (6 months later) | |
| A nationwide hunt for a suspected murderer was called off yesterday after a man was found hanged in a derelict building. | A nationwide hunt for a suspected murderer was called off yesterday after a man was found hanged in a derelict building. |
| Greater Manchester police found the body, believed to be George Appleton, 40, in Blackfriars, Salford, just 100 yards from where his red Ford Escort estate was abandoned this week. | Greater Manchester police found the body, believed to be George Appleton, 40, in Blackfriars, Salford, just 100 yards from where his red Ford Escort estate was abandoned this week. |
| Appleton was wanted by police on suspicion of killing his former girlfriend, Clare Wood, 36, whose burned body was found at her home in the area. | Appleton was wanted by police on suspicion of killing his former girlfriend, Clare Wood, 36, whose burned body was found at her home in the area. |
| A police spokesman said: "A search team has found a man's body hanging in a derelict building. Just before 1pm, officers looking for the whereabouts of George Appleton found the body off Boond Street in Blackfriars." A formal identification has yet to be made. | A police spokesman said: "A search team has found a man's body hanging in a derelict building. Just before 1pm, officers looking for the whereabouts of George Appleton found the body off Boond Street in Blackfriars." A formal identification has yet to be made. |
| Appleton met Ms Wood, a mother of one, on a dating website. He was unemployed and lived nearby, at Adelphi Court in Salford. | Appleton met Ms Wood, a mother of one, on a dating website. He was unemployed and lived nearby, at Adelphi Court in Salford. |
| Officers discovered Appleton, whose online aliases included Lilgeorgyporgy and Redfred, was a regular user of the social networking websites Facebook and MySpace and the dating sites Plentyoffish and Informedconsent, and warned users of the sites that he posed a serious threat. | Officers discovered Appleton, whose online aliases included Lilgeorgyporgy and Redfred, was a regular user of the social networking websites Facebook and MySpace and the dating sites Plentyoffish and Informedconsent, and warned users of the sites that he posed a serious threat. |
| On his Facebook page, he listed his activities as "wouldent ya like to know" and his interests as "music, computors, djing, films". | On his Facebook page, he listed his activities as "wouldent ya like to know" and his interests as "music, computors, djing, films". |
| Appleton was dubbed the "Facebook fugitive" after dozens of women contacted police to say he had behaved in a suspicious way when they met him online or subsequently in person. | Appleton was dubbed the "Facebook fugitive" after dozens of women contacted police to say he had behaved in a suspicious way when they met him online or subsequently in person. |
| "He was behaving in a predatory way and was contacting people up until last week," a source close to the investigation said. "People have been telling us the alarming things he was saying." | "He was behaving in a predatory way and was contacting people up until last week," a source close to the investigation said. "People have been telling us the alarming things he was saying." |
| The suspected killer was from the Traveller community and had worked on fairground sites. He had connections in Leicestershire, Gloucestershire and Warrington. | The suspected killer was from the Traveller community and had worked on fairground sites. He had connections in Leicestershire, Gloucestershire and Warrington. |
| Alerts were issued for all major ports and transport networks, a psychologist was drafted in to provide a criminal profile and a detective, superintendent Pete Jackson, issued a direct appeal to him. | Alerts were issued for all major ports and transport networks, a psychologist was drafted in to provide a criminal profile and a detective, superintendent Pete Jackson, issued a direct appeal to him. |
| He said: "George, if you are hearing this message, please listen to me. I want to speak to you and I urgently want you to get some help." | He said: "George, if you are hearing this message, please listen to me. I want to speak to you and I urgently want you to get some help." |
| On Tuesday, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said it would investigate earlier police contact with Ms Wood after it emerged an emergency alarm was installed at her home last month amid safety concerns. | On Tuesday, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said it would investigate earlier police contact with Ms Wood after it emerged an emergency alarm was installed at her home last month amid safety concerns. |
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