Police hunt four men over graveyard murder of man, 34, at the church in locked-down Wigan 

Police hunt four men over graveyard murder of man, 34, who was involved in ‘earlier altercation’ at the church in locked-down Wigan

  • Stephen McMyler, 34, died outside Wigan Parish Church, in Bishopgate
  • Three men were arrested on suspicion of murder but released on bail
  • Police appeal for information about four men seen at Wigan Wallgate Station   

Police have released the images of four men they would like to speak to after a man was murdered in the gardens of a church.

Stephen McMyler, 34, died outside Wigan Parish Church, in Bishopgate, Wigan, on Friday.

Police, who were called around 7.50pm, believe there had been a ‘earlier altercation’ at the church.

Stephen McMyler, 34, pictured, died outside Wigan Parish Church, in Bishopgate, Wigan, on Friday

Stephen was treated at the scene by emergency services but later died.

Detectives are now appealing for any information about the identity of four men who were seen at Wigan Wallgate Station 30-60 minutes earlier. 

Three men – aged 30, 19 and 18 – were arrested on suspicion of murder and an 18-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. 

Detectives are now appealing for any information about the identity of four men, pictured, who were seen at Wigan Wallgate Station 30-60 minutes earlier

Detectives are now appealing for any information about the identity of four men, pictured, who were seen at Wigan Wallgate Station 30-60 minutes earlier

Police believe four men, pictured, 'may hold important information regarding this incident' and are appealing to the public to contact them if they know anyone pictured

Police believe four men, pictured, ‘may hold important information regarding this incident’ and are appealing to the public to contact them if they know anyone pictured

All four have been released on bail under investigation. 

Detective Inspector Wes Knights, of Greater Manchester Police, said: ‘This devastating incident has left Stephen’s family feeling broken and they deserve answers.  

‘While we have made good progress in the very early stages of this investigation, we are keen to ensure we hear from every possible witness of this incident.

‘We are particularly keen to identify and hear from four men who we believe may hold important information regarding this incident and I plea with the public to contact us if they recognise any of these men.

In a moving post on Facebook, Stephen’s partner Alex Hughes said they were due to go on holiday to Tenerife on Friday, but instead she found out he had died.

She said: ‘Thank you for the last 12 months of my life. I know recently we had our ups and downs, but my god we had some laughs. 

A dedicated portal has been set up for the public to share information with the Police as they continue to appeal for anyone who knows these four men, pictured, to come forward

A dedicated portal has been set up for the public to share information with the Police as they continue to appeal for anyone who knows these four men, pictured, to come forward

‘My best mate, and I’m sorry that this has happened, you’ll always have a special place in my heart. And I promise to always be there for your family and friends, and little girls.’

A dedicated portal has been set up for the public to share their information with the investigation team. 

Anyone with any mobile or local CCTV footage of the incident or of other suspicious activity in the area that night can upload media to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4z0iy2ckk0blkms/AACqaid19ZEML9CrQOdyFLhNa?dl=0

Police believe there had been a 'earlier altercation' at the church and released the images of the four men, pictured, that they would like to speak to

Police believe there had been a ‘earlier altercation’ at the church and released the images of the four men, pictured, that they would like to speak to

Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 4815 quoting incident 2974 of 06/08/2020. 

Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.