POLICE are working with the UK Missing Persons Bureau as they continue the hunt for the killer who dismembered an unidentified woman and buried her in a shallow grave in Edinburgh.
Police had said a DNA profile of the victim was completed but officers said they did not believe it fitted the profile of any missing people that they knew about.
It has been confirmed the bureau is continuing to assist Police Scotland with the investigation into the murder of the woman whose body police believe was dismembered for ease of transport.
The identity of the victim, found on Corstorphine Hill, Edinburgh, remains unknown despite distinctive cosmetic dental work and rings that it was hoped would lead to her identification.
Police confirmed that they have already received a lot of information from UK-wide sources after issuing a public appeal for people to question the whereabouts of friends, colleagues or family who "had recently fallen off the radar".
The UK Missing Persons Bureau said: "We can confirm that the bureau is helping in the investigation. We cannot say anything else other than that we are a part of it."
Police said friends, colleagues or relatives of the dead woman may have received a convincing explanation that she was "off the radar" due to work commitments in England or had travelled abroad which could account for her disappearance not raising suspicion.
Detective Chief Inspector Keith Hardie of the Specialist Crime Division's Major Investigation Team, who is leading the inquiry, said: "I feel confident that someone will recognise the description of the lady's teeth and the rings, together with the general description of a slim middle-aged lady who has disappeared.
"We are building up a profile of this individual in the hope we can identify her and take this investigation forward."
The dismembered body of the mystery woman – aged between 32 and 60 – was discovered by a cyclist who spotted a head protruding from a shallow grave in a clearing at Corstorphine Hill.
Two distinctive gold rings – one designed like a daisy and the other shaped like a heart – are believed to be vital to identifying the woman. She had also had expensive cosmetic veneers fitted to her teeth.
She is said to be short, of slim build, with blonde or light brown hair.
Despite the body being dismembered, police said that they were satisfied all of the limbs had been recovered from the burial site, not far from Corstorphine Road, one of Edinburgh's busiest thoroughfares.
It was hoped forensic examination of the rings and the burial site would expose new areas of investigation.
Officers have said that there were a number of reports from members of the public about people seen on Corstorphine Hill "with big rucksacks and carriers in which the dismembered remains may have been transported and implements which could be used for digging".
Police said the reports are being investigated.
There has been speculation that the dead woman could have been a victim of trafficking.
As officers continue to investigate, DCI Hardie said that they were still awaiting the "one elusive phone call which will provide the vital clue which will assist us to put a name to this woman".
High visibility patrols have been continuing on Corstorphine Hill and the surrounding area while police encourage the public to come forward with any information they may have that might help solve the mystery.
Police Scotland has involved forensic archaeologists, anthropologists, a geographic profiler and a behavioural analyst to build up information.
Detectives have almost finished their work at the grave site.
Officers are analysing CCTV footage and continuing door-to-door inquiries.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article