Man arrested over death of drag queen in Cardiff released on bail

A man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the death of a well-known drag queen in Cardiff has been released on bail.

The 50-year-old man was detained three days after the body of Darren Moore was found in a city centre alley on Sunday evening.

He has since been released pending further enquiries, South Wales Police confirmed on Thursday.

Mr Moore, 39, from Newport was last been seen at around 5am on Sunday wearing full face make-up, a luminous green dress, blonde wig, heels and carrying a clutch bag.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Raikes, from South Wales Police, said a post-mortem examination had been conducted and further examinations are ongoing to establish a cause of death.

“Initial investigations have so far not revealed or confirmed any obvious cause of death, however, extensive enquiries are continuing to establish the cause and circumstances of Mr Moore’s death,” Detective Raikes said.

“I would also again like to respectfully ask people to refrain from speculating on social media about what has occurred and please let the police investigation take its course.”

Early hours

Members of the public had been asked to contact the police if they had seen Mr Moore during the early hours of Sunday, or if they were in the vicinity of Park Lane and Windsor Place between 3am and 7am.

An incident room has been set up at Cardiff Central police station.

In a statement issued by police, Mr Moore’s family described him as “a loving husband, son, brother, uncle and friend”.

“He was always the life and soul where ever he went, he was our social butterfly. He made sure he had a lot of time for people, and never judged others,” they said.

“Darren’s husband and family want to thank everyone for their support but now need time to grieve and respectfully request privacy at this time.”

Tributes to Mr Moore have poured in since his death, particularly from Cardiff’s LGBT+ community and a GoFundMe fundraising page created to help his family pay for funeral costs has collected more than £6,000 in two days.

The page says: “Anyone who knew Darren would know how he was never understated in his appearance and costume. His larger-than-life character and charisma were something that you’ll never forget.

“We’d like to support Darren and the family and give Darren the biggest send-off. If you’re able to and can afford a few quid, please donate what you can to ensure we do him proud.”

The Golden Cross, Wales’s oldest LGBT+ venue, posted on Twitter: “We are deeply saddened to learn of Darren Moore’s passing.

“Many of you will know of his long-standing support of the Golden.

“He was the life and soul of the party and would always be entertaining the masses, usually accompanied with a round of shots.”