Murder charge after body found in Lewisham derelict building

A 39-year-old man has been charged with murder after the body of a man who had been reported missing in August was found in a derelict building in southeast London, police said. Metropolitan Police officers discovered the body of Junior Ryan Coleman during a search of a vacant property on Brockley Road, Lewisham, on the morning of September 19, and a suspect was charged after a postmortem examination indicated blunt force trauma to the head.

Officers, conducting a missing person investigation, were searching the building at about 8:17 a.m. when they located the body, the force said. A postmortem was carried out and on September 20 the Metropolitan Police opened a murder investigation. Coleman had been reported missing on August 20.

Daniel Watkis, 39, of Glenarm Road, Hackney, was arrested on September 25 and charged with murder on September 26, authorities said. He appeared at Bromley Magistrates Court the same day and was remanded in custody ahead of a scheduled appearance at the Old Bailey on October 24. Coleman’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, police added.

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Townsend, who is leading the inquiry, said, "Our...