Police identify man stabbed to death in South Yorkshire town

Police have identified a man who was stabbed to death in a South Yorkshire town – prompting a murder probe

Stephen Riley was found injured in Darley Avenue in the Athersley area of Barnsley at around 11pm on Friday.

The 43-year-old was taken to hospital but sadly died shortly after midnight on Saturday.

Stephen Riley.placeholder image
Stephen Riley.

A post-mortem examination concluded that he died from a stab wound to his chest.

Detectives have arrested a 37-year-old Barnsley man on suspicion of murder in connection with Mr Riley's death. He is currently in custody.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Mr Riley’s family continue to be supported by specially-trained officers and we remain keen to hear from anyone with information which could assist our investigation.

“If you were in the Athersley area on Friday night and saw anything suspicious, please call 101, quoting incident number 1227 of June 26.”

Editor's message

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The Star is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

You can subscribe here www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions for unlimited access to Sheffield news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.

News you can trust since 1887
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice