HUMAN remains have been found dumped in remote woods in Cornwall following the hunt for a missing man.

The body of Daniel Coleman is understood to have been found in Paramoor Woods in St Austell, Cornwall, earlier this month.

Today, Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez told a panel that a number of “dead bodies” had been discovered in the woodland.

Ms Hernandes said a probe had been launched, with officers still desperate to establish “how many” bodies “there may be”.

Speaking at a Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel today, she said: “We’ve got a huge forensic tent down there. Lots of forensics officers, obviously we’ve found dead bodies in that wood.

“We’re just trying to establish how many there may be at this point in time and whether we are aware of who they are or what might have happened to them. So we also don’t know how long they may have been there, some of them.”

But Devon and Cornwall Police later rejected her claims.

Detective Superintendent Jon Bancroft said human remains belonging to just one person had been found in the wooded area.

He said there are currently “three separate murder investigations being conducted in the Cornwall area”.

And he insisted he has oversight of “all of these investigations at this time,” adding they are “being carried out independently of each other and are not believed to be linked”.

He said: “I can categorically state that we have recovered remains believed to be those of Daniel Coleman only from an area of woodland in Sticker. No other remains have been located at this scene to date.”

The wooded area is located just off the A390 between St Austell and Truro.

The Crime Commissioner today said units from the National Crime Agency were also assisting with the search effort.

Private security teams have been deployed and the air space has been restricted over the woodland.

Police tents have been spotted in the wooded area, alongside forensic teams.

Daniel, 43, – who vanished last month from St Austell, in Cornwall – is believed to have been killed on a date between June 2 and July 7.

Cops later charged James Desborough with his murder.

Speaking after Desborough was charged, Detective Superintendent Jon Bancroft confirmed forensic investigations were still ongoing.

DS Bancroft said at the time: “We are continuing with a forensic examination of the scene which is being carried out slowly and methodically.

“Our teams of officers and staff are being assisted by the National Crime Agency expert group and Home Office-approved scientists.

“A significant police presence will remain in the Sticker area as we progress our inquiries expeditiously.”

Desborough appeared before Bodmin Magistrates’ Court earlier this month before being remanded in custody.

He is due to appear at Truro Crown Court on August 8.