Two women were arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a 55-year-old man was discovered inside a derelict former TGI Fridays restaurant in Sheffield, police have said.
The women, aged 35 and 54, were taken into custody on Thursday, June 11, after South Yorkshire Police responded to reports of suspicious activity at the premises the night before. Officers found the man’s body while carrying out enquiries at the scene.
“Two women arrested after body of 55-year-old man found in former TGI Fridays in Sheffield.”
The man has not yet been formally identified, but his family has been notified and is being supported by specially trained officers. A cordon around the building on Sheffield Road is expected to remain in place until Friday evening.
DCI Laura Procter, the senior investigating officer, said: “Officers have been conducting various enquiries since the man’s body was sadly found, with the aim of building up a full picture of the circumstances which led up to this incident.”
She appealed for anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in the area around the TGI Fridays building in the days before Wednesday to come forward. “We will continue to work hard to get answers, and this has included arresting two women who remain in custody for questioning. If you have any information which you think could help us, no matter how big or small, please come forward,” Procter added.
The restaurant, which was once part of the TGI Fridays chain, shut its doors in January 2026 and is “no longer owned by the company or any affiliated organization,” the chain confirmed, moving swiftly to disassociate itself from the property. The Sheffield outlet was among 16 UK restaurants that closed after TGI Fridays’ UK operator fell into administration.
Anyone with information is urged to call 101 or report online, quoting incident number 897 of June 10.