'We need to know what happened to him' - family of South Yorkshire murder victim appeal for answers

Stafford Garner was found seriously injured at his home in Thurnscoe, Barnsley, on April 2 last year, and the 46-year-old died three days later.

In a statement, his family said: “The last 12 months have been incredibly difficult for us as a family. It still doesn’t feel real that Stafford isn’t with us anymore. The milestones that are normally celebrated – birthdays, Christmas, new jobs and so on – are all just a reminder that life is moving on without Staf.

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“We need to know what happened to him so that we can start to re-build our lives. Please, if you know anything at all, just come forward and tell somebody. If you don’t want to speak directly to the police, there are other ways. The most important thing is that you tell somebody what you know.”

Mr Garner was found at his home in Monsal Street, Thurnscoe, at around 4.40pm on Thursday, April 2 last year but police now believe he was assaulted some time on Tuesday, March 31.

Two men aged 30 and 42 were arrested on suspicion of murder and subsequently released under investigation. Three other men who were also arrested on suspicion of murder are no longer being linked to this investigation.

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Detective Chief Inspector Simon Palmer, who is leading the investigation, said: “Thurnscoe is a small and very tight-knit community. I believe there is somebody in the area who knows what happened to Stafford, and today I am appealing directly to them to come forward and tell us what they know.

“Were you on Monsal Street on Tuesday, March 31, 2020? Did you see anyone, on foot or in a car, who may be able to help with our enquiry? Do you know who was with Stafford when he was assaulted? Any information, no matter how small, could make the difference.

“We have a family which has been devastated by Stafford’s death, children who have lost their dad. They deserve answers.”Anyone with information is asked to call South Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 494 of April 2, 2020.

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