A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a 23-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. They remain in police custody alongside two men, aged 18 and 33, who were arrested yesterday. A 21-year-old woman has been released and faces no further action.
17-year-old Callum Riley was found with serious injuries on Atholl Drive in the Heywood area of Rochdale yesterday morning (Saturday 17 September 2022) and was sadly pronounced dead soon afterwards.
Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “Our thoughts remain with Callum’s family, who we are liaising with via a specially trained officer.
“Our investigation is very much ongoing and we are continuing to appeal for information.
Officers from the Rochdale district will be providing a visible presence in the coming days to reassure members of the public – anyone with concerns can approach them.”
Mr Riley was known affectionately as ‘Russell’ or ‘Russel’ to pals due to his similar appearance as a child to a character in a film, local residents said on Saturday. Tributes have been paid by hundreds of people on Facebook since the announcement of his tragic death.
One man who said he found Mr Riley hurt in the garden of a house and desperately tried to perform CPR to help him. “I heard a load of screaming at 4.30am,” he said.
“We heard a scream for help and looked outside the bedroom window, but we couldn’t see anything. Half an hour later we heard a scream for help again. We just heard screaming, all we could hear was ‘help, help’.
“It wasn’t until when it was light out, when someone knocked on and said there was a man in a garden. I went in the garden and I called police and they asked me to perform CPR on him. It’s a sad thing, a young lad.”
His mum said: “Callum was a strong and caring young man, loved so deeply by his family, friends and his girlfriend. His love for his Mother and his Brothers was immeasurable. A lovely lad, with a good heart, protective of his family and always the best of intentions. Stolen away from us far too young in life. He will be forever missed, and remembered with Love. Life will never be the same again. As a family we ask for the respect and privacy whilst we come to terms with this huge loss in our lives.”
His dad said: “Callum was a much-loved Son brother and uncle. He was a loving caring young man who never failed to make us laugh. He will be sadly missed by us all. In death as you were in life, unforgettable.”
