Victim named in body-parts murder case

LONDON (Reuters) - Police investigating the murder of a man whose severed body parts were found scattered across the countryside named the victim on Thursday as 49-year-old Jeffrey Howe from north London.

Earlier police revealed they had arrested two people on Tuesday, aged in their 20s and 30s, at an address in north London.

They are being questioned at a police station in Hertfordshire.

The family of Howe, from Southgate, said he had been working as a salesman for a kitchen firm. Before that he had lived in various places across the country, they said in a statement released by police.

"Jeffrey was an extremely caring son. He was a jovial, charming character who had a heart of gold and would get on with anyone," his brother said on behalf of the family.

"Extensive work has been carried out in relation to this murder investigation and I can confirm today that two people have been arrested on suspicion of murder," said Detective Chief Inspector Michael Hanlon.

The macabre inquiry was launched after a left leg was found in a lay-by in Cottered in Hertfordshire on March 22.

A week later, an arm, dismembered at the elbow and wrist, was discovered on a grass verge in Wheathampstead, about a 40-minute drive from Cottered.

Two days later, a farmer unearthed the head on his land in Asfordby, Leicestershire, about 100 miles from Wheathampstead.