Peak District 'murder' as man found dead at stone circle during summer solstice event

Peak District 'murder' as man found dead at stone circle during summer solstice event A murder investigation has been launched after the body of a 26-year-old man was found at the Nine Ladies Stone Circle in Stanton Lees, Derbyshire A man’s body has been found at a Bronze Age stone circle in the Peak District during a summer solstice event - and police have now launched a murder investigation. Derbyshire Police said the body of a 26-year-old man was found at the Nine Ladies Stone Circle in Stanton Lees in Derbyshire at around 1.38pm on Monday. Officers said a number of people were in the area over the weekend for the summer solstice and are urging anyone who was there between June 19 and 23, and anyone who has any footage from the event during the same time period, to come forward. The man, who was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency services were called, has not been formally identified but his family have been made aware and are being supported, the force said. Detective Inspector Tony Owen from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), who is leading the investigation, said the man's life had been taken in the "most brutal way". He stated: “I am urgently appealing for anyone who attended the summer solstice event over the weekend to please speak to officers as soon as they can. “A young man’s life has been taken in the most brutal way so it is vital that myself and the team build up a clear picture of the exact circumstances surrounding his death. This is why we urgently need to speak to everyone who was at the scene over the weekend. “You may have only been there briefly and think you can’t help, but you could hold the key piece of information we need to understand what has happened and help us to get justice for this young man’s family. “So I would ask, please, that if you attended the event, you contact us urgently so we can build up a picture of the event itself and what has led to this man’s death. I also really urge anyone who captured video footage from the event over the weekend to please come forward. You could play a key role in helping us with this murder investigation.” According to English Heritage, Nine Ladies Stone Circle is a small early Bronze Age stone circle “traditionally believed to depict nine ladies turned to stone as a penalty for dancing on Sunday”. A major incident portal has been set up at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/33EM25A84-PO1 or information can be given to police via 101 quoting reference 26*364216.