The man whose body was discovered inside a suitcase in Rochester, Kent, has been identified as 34-year-old Dale Mundell of Islington. The discovery was reportedly made by families participating in a teddy bear hunt in Borstal Recreation Ground.
Mundell was found in a suitcase that was described as being covered in flies. Police were alerted to a potential murder at an address on Kingfisher Court in Wimbledon on Thursday evening. Officers who searched the property found no one inside but suspected foul play and initiated a murder investigation.
Joshua Miller, 32, and Jamie Cooper, 27, have been arrested and charged. Miller appeared via videolink in Medway Magistrates’ Court on Monday, facing charges of murder on July 8 and preventing a lawful burial on July 9. Cooper, who shares the same address as Miller, is charged with preventing a lawful burial on July 9.
Authorities stated that the victim and the two suspects knew each other. A resident attending the teddy bear hunt, an event organized as a fundraiser for a local nursery, recounted seeing the suitcase before police arrived and noted it was covered in flies.
Mundell's family is being supported by specialist officers. Miller is scheduled to appear next at Maidstone Crown Court on July 15. Both Miller and Cooper are expected to appear at the same court on August 10 for a plea hearing.
Detective Inspector Ben Dalloway, leading the investigation, commented that their thoughts are with the victim's family and that the investigation is proceeding rapidly. While arrests have been made and there is no perceived wider risk to the public, police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them by calling 101, referencing CAD 9504/9JUL.