DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a man in the gardens of Wigan Parish Church have released images of four men they would like to speak to.

Police were called by the ambulance service to reports of concern for a man at the church on Bishopgate, Wigan shortly before 7.50pm on Thursday, August 6.

Despite the best efforts of emergency services, a 34-year-old man – formally identified as Steven James McMyler from Wigan (pictured above at the top) – sadly died at the scene and a murder investigation was launched.

Enquiries into the circumstances surrounding his death are ongoing but initial findings indicate the incident occurred following an earlier altercation at the scene.

Three men – aged 30, 19 and 18 – were arrested on suspicion of murder and an 18-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

All four individuals have been released on bail under investigation.

Detectives have issued a borough-wide appeal for any information about the identity of any of the four men pictured to aid their investigation.

Detective Inspector Wes Knights, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “This devastating incident has left Stephen’s family feeling broken and they deserve answers. We have a team of dedicated specialist officers supporting them at this awful time.

“While we have made good progress in the very early stages of this investigation, we are keen to ensure we hear from every possible witness of this incident."

He added: “We are particularly keen to identify and hear from four men who we believe may hold important information regarding this incident and I plea with the public to contact us if they recognise any of these men.

“A dedicated portal has been set up for the public to share their information with the investigation team and to also view other assets on there that could lead to further useful evidence coming to light."

The Major Incident Team online portal can be found via https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP20L15-PO1.

Anyone with any mobile or local CCTV footage of the incident or of other suspicious activity in the area that night can upload media to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4z0iy2ckk0blkms/AACqaid19ZEML9CrQOdyFLhNa?dl=0

Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 4815 quoting incident 2974 of 06/08/2020. Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.