What is thought to be the skeleton of a baby has been found underneath floorboards at a Bishop Auckland home.
The horrifying find was made by contractors carrying out a renovation on a property in Fore Bondgate at around 11.15am on Monday morning. Durham Constabulary said the body was being recovered from the building on Tuesday afternoon.
A police probe has now been launched - with forensic analysts including an expert anthropologist called in to examine the skeleton and determine the baby's age and how long it has been at the property. The police said at this stage they remained "open-minded" about the circumstances of this case.
A post mortem examination and CT scan are scheduled for later this week, police said, while detectives from Durham Constabulary have also begun tracing previous inhabitants of the property.
Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland, from Durham Constabulary, said: "Our investigations are at an early stage. Obviously, this is a sensitive enquiry and at this point we remain open-minded as to the circumstances surrounding the death."
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