Police name man found in canal near cruising ground
A man who drowned in a canal in Manchester in the early hours of Friday morning has been named.
Alexander Lynch was 46.
Police said he had connections to Manchester, Wrexham and Glasgow.
They are still appealing for witnesses to come forward.
At 2.10am on Friday October 3rd police were called to Ducie Street, Manchester following a report that a man had been seen in the canal.
Officers attended with the underwater search team and the body of a man was later found.
The death is being treated as suspicious and an investigation has been launched.
A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death was drowning and did not show any obvious signs of trauma.
Police are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area from 10pm to 2.30am, and are particularly a man who made a phone call to the emergency services when he saw the body in the water, but did not leave any contact details.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Mark Powell said:
“We are still in the early stages of our inquiry and our efforts are concentrated on Alexander’s movements on the night of Thursday 2 October 2008 leading up to his death in the early hours of the next day.
“It is vital that anyone who has any information comes forward so we piece together exactly what happened to Alexander.
“We know that this particular area of the canal is sometimes used by men looking for sex with other men and therefore some witnesses may be reluctant to come forward.
“But you could hold vital information which could help us build up a picture of what happened to this man and I would therefore urge you to come to us.
“We are not interested in why you were there, only what you saw. You can come to us in confidence and we will treat you with discretion and respect.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Major Incident Room at Wythenshawe on 0161 856 4721 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
