A human head found dumped on a footpath is that of a woman who may have died last year, police revealed yesterday.

A human head found dumped on a footpath is that of a woman who may have died last year, police revealed yesterday.

Specialist testing has confirmed early indications that the remains are female, with examination of several teeth in the head suggesting that it is that of an adult.

Further analysis has also shown that while the macabre remains could be of someone whose death took place up to 15 years ago, as was previously thought, it is also possible that the person died as recently as six months ago.

Officers investigating the unusual case announced yesterday that several human bones thought to be from the same corpse have also been found in and near to the blue Ikea carrier bag in which the head was first discovered in the Leith area of Edinburgh on New Year's Eve.

In a further development, it emerged that although the head looked as though it had been mummified, tests have now proved that it has not been preserved in any way and is severely decomposed.

Officers announced that the DNA profile of the head does not match any for people on the UK missing persons register.

But they stressed that they have not ruled out any lines of inquiry, including murder or the possibility that the remains have been dug up from a graveyard.

As work continues to try to identify the corpse, police issued a new appeal for information from the public.

Detective Superintendent Allan Jones, of Lothian and Borders Police, is leading the inquiry. He said: "We want people to come forward, particularly if they have seen anyone carrying a blue Ikea bag in the area.

"We cannot confirm when the bag was dumped, but we believe it was relatively recently. It looks as though it had only been beside the path for a couple of days at most. This is a public area and it will have been seen by walkers and people taking their dogs out. We are asking anyone who may have seen someone acting suspiciously to get in touch."

Police were alerted to the grim find at around 10.30am on New Year's Eve when a woman out walking on the public footpath at Hawthornvale rang in after spotting the head.

Tests are continuing to try to determine the age of the woman and to establish how old the remains are.

The cause of death also remains unknown at the moment. It is likely to be several days before any more results are known.

Anyone with any information about the case should contact police on 0131 311 3131 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.