Head in bag: More body parts found

THE grisly discovery of a human head in a shopping bag on a public path has taken a sinister turn after police revealed it could have belonged to a woman who died as recently as six months ago.

As new details of the find came to light yesterday, police confirmed a number of bones from the upper torso of the same body were also inside the large blue Ikea bag found in bushes next to the footpath.

Detectives had previously thought the head came from a person who died ten to 15 years ago and had been mummified.

However, tests have now shown the head was not preserved in any way, but was simply severely decomposed. Police said they are confident the head and bones, found in the Newhaven area of Edinburgh, belonged to a woman.

Dental analysis has shown she was at least 14 years old when she died, although officers said it is likely she was older.

The bones were found in bags inside the large Ikea bag, alongside other material which police have not identified.

Detectives are still keeping an open mind as to whether the body fragments belonged to a murder victim.

Other possibilities include that the remains were dug up from a grave, or were stolen from a medical laboratory.

A police spokeswoman said the death was being treated as suspicious, but was not currently a murder inquiry.

"We don't even know how the head came to be off the body – whether it was due to natural decomposition or whether it was decapitated," she said.

"We are keeping a very open mind."

Detectives are trawling through national missing person databases.

They said that DNA tests had already confirmed it was not the body of Edinburgh woman Louise Tiffney, who went missing from her Dean Village home in 2002, aged 43.

The Ikea bag was clean, police said, without any mildew covering it, which suggests it was dumped in the bushes next to a footpath very recently.

It was discovered by a woman walking her dog at 10:30am on Hogmanay.

The head had long hair, but the colour of it was not clear due to the state of decomposition. It was in such a bad state it was not even clear whether its eyes had been removed or had decomposed.

Detective Superintendent Allan Jones from Lothian and Borders Police confirmed that the head was in a state of "severe decomposition".

He added: "Right now, we are looking at the likelihood that the skull belongs to a female adult, aged 14 years old or older according to dental works.

"I would guess, however, that it belongs to someone older, although we can't be sure."

He explained that the head at first appeared to be mummified, but then signs of moisture were discovered among the decomposition.

"We do not know if it was kept in storage or buried or even whether freezing was involved but it now appears that it was not preserved in any way," said Detective Superintendent Jones.

"Initial DNA tests of the other bones and materials, found alongside the skull in separate bags, would indicate that they all belong to the same person."

Investigating officers are hoping a walker or another member of the public noticed somebody carrying the large Ikea bag – the sort that can be bought from the store – along the footpath that runs parallel to Hawthornvale in Leith.

Yesterday, the pathway was closed to allow police forensic officers to carry out a further review of the surroundings where the head and other bones were found, and it will remain closed for about four days.

Mr Jones said: "We have extended our search to make doubly sure that we recover all we can. We have assistance from other forces, including Strathclyde Police, to include a search of a larger area of the footpath.

"In the meantime, we are continuing our scan of the missing persons register, as a long-term part of the investigation, as well as carrying out door-to-door inquiries for image captures and CCTV footage."

The police spokeswoman urged anyone with information to get in touch.

"This is a public area used regularly by dog walkers and we are asking anyone who may have seen someone with a big blue Ikea bag to come forward," she said.

"At this stage, we cannot confirm when the bag was dumped but we believe it would have been relatively recently."

She added: "The cause of death remains unknown, and we are continuing our inquiries in order to establish how the remains have come to be on the footpath.

"We would also appeal for anyone with any information about the identity of the deceased to contact us directly."

Anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131-311 3131, or Crimestoppers in anonymity on 0800 555 111.


Investigators will employ full range of forensic techniques

A TEAM of 30 police are involved in the investigation to identify the remains and determine how they came to be on the footpath.

Little detail is known about the remains beyond the fact that the head was that of a female aged at least 14.

A detailed forensic examination will already be under way.

Teeth can reveal a huge amount. The dentine in teeth and wear and tear to their exterior can tell scientists about the age and sex of a person, but bridgework and fillings can also reveal a victim's identity, particularly as dental techniques can vary with country and time. DNA will be extracted from the remains in the search for an identity.

Even if an exact match cannot be found, potential partial matches with other people on police records could give detectives a vital lead.

While identifying the person will be the first priority for the police, the cause of death will be a close second, as it is still not clear whether the remains are those of someone who was murdered.

Detectives will be trying to extract as much information and evidence as possible from the area where the remains were discovered.

While still treating it as a suspicious death, officers will be using techniques associated with murder investigations.

One of the first steps will be to carry out exhaustive door-to-door inquiries to determine whether anyone saw anything suspicious or unusual.

CCTV will offer potential leads to how long the body parts have been there, and potentially give leads as to who dropped them there in the first place.

The on-the-ground investigation is likely to continue for another three to four days.

Police will be particularly keen to trace the dead woman's hands since fingerprints, vital in identification, can survive over a long period.

Cadaver dogs – used to track body parts – have also been brought in to the investigation.

The National Police Improvement Agency, a body specialising in advising investigations of officers on potential avenues of investigation, will be on hand to give support.

Police are also trawling through the National Missing Person's Database, looking for anyone whose profile fits that of the human remains.