Daniel Smith suffered multiple injuries and was found under railway arches near Salford Central station in Greater Manchester

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Police investigating the murder of a homeless man whose body was found in a burning tent have released pictures of him as flowers and tributes were laid at the scene in Greater Manchester.

Daniel Smith, 23, was found at 1.20am on Wednesday under railway arches in Ordsall, near Salford Central station. He had suffered multiple injuries and his tent had been deliberately set on fire, detectives said.



Originally from Ashton-under-Lyne, he is understood to have been attacked before the fire was started.



A banner, flowers and candles were placed at the site under railway arches at Irwell Street. The banner read: “RIP Daniel, gone but not forgotten”. Another personal message read: “Nuff love bro, hold it tight up there”.



A Home Office postmortem concluded that he died from multiple injuries. Specialist officers are providing support to his family.



Smith is understood to have been sleeping rough in Manchester for around two years. Ch Supt Mary Doyle of Greater Manchester police said members of the homeless community could hold the key to the investigation.



She told the Manchester Evening News: “They are concerned, worried and upset. And we are continuing to work with them, to support and safeguard them. But some may have seen something that was important. GMP and our partner agencies have links with the community and we are working with them to keep their confidence and encourage them to come forward.

“We can’t yet establish a motive, so we can’t say there is no wider risk to the community. The location is overlooked. It is a busy area, even at the time of night Daniel was found. We hope someone has seen something.”



Doyle, head of police in Salford, said inquiries over 24 hours after his death found he had suffered a number of injuries before his body was discovered in a tent following a fire.

Police have been carrying out a joint investigation with the fire service to establish the cause of the fire which they now believe was started deliberately.

DC Derek Nellany said: “We are continuing to work closely with Daniel’s family to try to find out exactly what happened to him. Having been to see them today, they are understandably devastated and our thoughts continue to be with them at this tough time.”



The area around the crime scene, just outside Manchester city centre, is widely covered by CCTV, which detectives will examine. The secluded railway arches are used by homeless people to shelter from the cold weather.

Anyone with information has been asked to call GMP’s major incident team on 0161 856 8797 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

