Murder detectives are hunting the “dangerous” ex-boyfriend of a woman who was found dead in a flat on New Year’s Eve.
Officers from West Midlands Police want to speak to Michael Foran in connection with the death of June Jones, who was found brutally beaten at her home in West Bromwich.
The 33-year-old was reported missing by her sister on Boxing Day, and in a statement on Thursday, Jones’s family appealed directly to Foran to “do the right thing” and hand himself in.
The victim’s body was discovered when officers forced entry to her maisonette in Wyndmill Crescent at 2am on December 31.
A post-mortem examination on Wednesday was unable to establish a cause of death, but the force said there was evidence of a “sustained and brutal assault with a weapon”, and officers have launched a murder inquiry.
Detectives have since been searching for 32-year-old Foran, who was captured on CCTV leaving West Bromwich on New Year’s Eve and travelling to Liverpool.
Foran was then pictured on security cameras at a petrol station in the Anfield area on New Year’s Day, with officers in Merseyside joining the manhunt.
Detective Inspector Warren Hines, of West Midlands Police, appealed for the public in helping to trace the suspect.
He said: “We’re working hard to establish the full circumstances around the tragic death of June, and urgently need to trace Michael Foran.
“We have had officers in Liverpool searching for him for the past few days, and are now appealing for the help of the public.
“Michael Foran is a dangerous individual. If he is spotted, we need people not to approach him but to phone 999 immediately.”
In a statement, Miss Jones’s family said: “We’ve been left completely devastated by June’s death.
“We now need anyone who knows where Michael is to get in touch with the police as soon as possible.
“If he sees this appeal, we’d appeal to him directly to do the right thing and go to the nearest police station and hand himself in.”
West Midlands Police have referred the missing persons inquiry to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is standard procedure in such cases.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police or to ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.