Homeless man found murdered near Darlington church
Detectives leading a murder investigation into the death of a homeless Darlington man have had a "positive" response from the public.
The body of 59-year-old George Akers was found under a tree in the grounds of St Cuthbert's Church on 12 June.
A post-mortem examination revealed he had suffered serious internal injuries.
Durham Police said they had received vital information about Mr Akers' recent movements and were continuing an examination of the murder scene.
Det Ch Insp Paul Goundry said: "We have had a positive response in terms of calls from the public and they are helping us build a more complete picture of George Akers and his movements in his final few days.
"At this stage we are keeping an open mind on exactly how he came by his injuries.
"We will be in the area over the weekend and I am hoping we can obtain further clues to help us establish exactly what happened to Mr Akers.
"Those who knew him speak well of him. He had never been in trouble with the police and sadly seems to have been one of those people who just slipped through the net of regular society."
It has emerged that Mr Akers had not been in regular work for about 15 years and had spent time at various addresses before ending up on the streets.
Police said he had recently spent time at a guest house in Darlington, but moved out after complaining it was too noisy.