Authorities are investigating Christopher Halliwell, a convicted double murderer, in connection with the unsolved 2002 killing of Darren Carley, a vulnerable man who disappeared in Swindon, Wiltshire. Carley, 24, was last seen at his home shortly after midnight on January 24, 2002. He had argued with his mother following a breakup with his girlfriend.

Halliwell, 62, who is serving a whole life sentence for the murders of Becky Godden-Edwards in 2003 and Sian O’Callaghan in 2011, was reportedly living within half a mile of Carley’s residence when the latter went missing. Records indicate Halliwell lived nearby with his then-wife and children.

Carley’s skeletal remains were discovered six months later near Chorley, Lancashire, more than 180 miles from Swindon. His body was found partially submerged in a ditch adjacent to a pond on farmland in Charnock Richard, near the M6 motorway. Police reported that he had suffered fatal blows to the head inflicted by a blunt object and suggested the killing likely occurred elsewhere before the body was transported north. Halliwell is known to have disposed of his victims’ bodies in rural locations and to have taken deliberate steps to avoid detection.

Lancashire Police have confirmed an ongoing investigation into Carley’s death, but declined to comment on whether Halliwell is a suspect. A spokesperson stated that officers are carrying out inquiries and providing support to Carley’s family. While Halliwell has not been arrested or questioned in relation to this case, detectives are reportedly conducting early-stage witness interviews.

Carley, who had learning difficulties and was unemployed, was the youngest of seven siblings. His mother, Barbara, who passed away last year, had made public appeals for information after his disappearance. His identity was confirmed in 2018 through DNA testing following the discovery of the remains.

Halliwell’s known pattern of violent crime includes abductions and murders of young women in the Swindon area, where he worked as a taxi driver. After kidnapping Godden-Edwards and O’Callaghan, both of whom suffered blunt force trauma, he transported their remains to isolated locations. Halliwell’s forensic awareness and experience working cross-country in various jobs reportedly aided his efforts to evade detection.

Investigations into Halliwell’s possible involvement in additional murders have continued. Previous inquiries linked him to the deaths of Julie Finley in 1994 and Melanie Hall in 1996, based on proximity of residence, vehicle sightings, and similarity of attack methods.

A man and a woman arrested in 2018 on suspicion of Carley’s murder were later released without charge. Halliwell previously cooperated with police by leading them to Godden-Edwards’ remains; however, his confession was ruled inadmissible in court, and the case against him was dropped, while he was convicted for O’Callaghan’s murder. The ongoing inquiries may shed more light on other unresolved cases possibly connected to Halliwell.