Lewisham stabbing: Man found dead in flat after neighbours realise he's missing

Police have launched a murder investigation three days after a 54 year-old man was found dead at a flat in south London.

Officers forced entry to the property in Torridon Road in Lewisham at 7am on Thursday 16 May after neighbours raised concerns the resident had not been seen for some time.

The death was originally treated as unexplained until suspicious injuries were spotted when the body was taken to the mortuary.

A special postmortem on Sunday confirmed the cause of death was multiple stab wounds.

The Metropolitan Police’s Homicide and Major Crime Command are now leading the investigation.

A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday.

He has been released on bail until mid-June.

Police are appealing for witnesses and information.

“Formal identification has not been made, but the deceased is believed to be the 54-year-old man and his next of kin have been informed,” the police said in a statement.

Explaining the delay in launching the murder investigation, the force said: “The death was originally treated as non-suspicious, however on removal to the mortuary some suspicious injuries were noted.

“A special post-mortem took place at Greenwich Mortuary on Sunday, 19 May and gave the cause of death as multiple stab-wounds.”