British police arrest 2 in body parts case

updated 7:00 p.m. ET April 23, 2009

LONDON - British police on Thursday identified a man whose body parts were found strewn across the English countryside and said they have arrested two people in connection with the case.

Police from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said a 37-year old man and a 20-year-old woman were arrested in north London on suspicion of murder. They identified the victim as Jeffrey Howe, a 49-year-old kitchen salesman from north London.

Howe's legs, arms and head have been found hidden near roads and in fields in the English counties of Hertfordshire and Leicestershire in recent weeks.

Police first launched a murder inquiry after a left leg and foot was found by the side of a road in Hertfordshire, 38 miles north of London, on March 22.

They made repeated appeals for witnesses as more body parts were discovered around the country in following weeks.

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