A man and a woman have been charged with murder after a badly burnt corpse was discovered in the garden of house in Wandsworth, London.
Ouissem Medouni, 40, and 34-year-old Sabrina Kouider of Pulborough Road were both charged with the murder of an unknown person on Friday, following the discovery of the charred remains two days earlier.
The body was too badly burned to establish its age or gender, police said, with a post-mortem set to take place in “due course”.
The pair were first arrested on Wednesday following reports of a dead body and a fire at the address, with neighbours reporting a “weird barbecue” smell.
The 29-year-old local told reporters: “I was going home at about 5.20pm and I smelled this really weird smell.
“It was like a weird barbecue was going on. I could see this light smoke, it was pretty strange.”
DI Richard Leonard from the HMCC said that early indications suggested that “attempts were made to dispose of the body”.
“We are doing everything we can to identify the deceased,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Superintendent Peter Gardner from Wandsworth added: “I fully appreciate the concern that this investigation will cause in the local community.
“Specialist investigators will be carrying out work at the scene whilst local neighbourhood officers will be patrolling in
and around the area to help reassure residents and, where possible, respond to their concerns.”
Medouni and Kouider will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court later today.
Anyone with information that may assist police should call the incident room on 020 8721 4843 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.