Wiltshire Police launched a murder investigation in Ludgershall after a body was found near Perham Down on 24 September. Det Ch Insp Phil Walker said the inquiry is still in its early stages and police are working to establish exactly what happened.
Officers were first called at 15:41 BST to a concern for welfare check in Ludgershall. Two hours later, they found the body of a man in his 60s in woods near the polo field close to Perham Down, moving the case from a welfare response to a suspicious death inquiry.
Phil Walker appeal
Walker said the priority is to establish exactly what has happened. He added: "Our investigation is in its early stages, and we are working at pace to establish the circumstances of this man's death".
He also appealed for information from anyone who may have been in the area of the polo field and surrounding woodland on Thursday 24 September between 9am and 6pm. "It is critical that we hear from anyone who may have been in the area of the polo field and surrounding woodland on Thursday 24 September between 9am and 6pm who may have noticed something out of the ordinary," he said.
Perham Down woods
The sequence matters for anyone who was there that day: police were not initially dealing with a murder report, but with a concern for welfare. The body was found after that check, and an initial post-mortem examination led police to treat the death as suspicious.
That leaves one central task for the inquiry team. Police need people who were near Perham Down and Ludgershall during that eight-hour window to come forward with anything unusual they saw, heard, or found out of place.
Ludgershall and 24 September
For now, the case turns on the timeline between the first call at 15:41 BST and the discovery two hours later. Anyone who was in the area of the polo field and surrounding woodland on 24 September is being asked to help establish what happened to the man in the woods near Perham Down.
