A baby's remains have been found on a path by a dog walker, police have revealed.
Detectives said the investigation was at an early stage and did not reveal the sex of the child, but said it may have been a newborn.
They have now appealed for the mother of a baby to come forward after the discovery on an old railway path in Edinburgh's Seafield area on Sunday night.
Detective Chief Inspector David McLaren said: "We are carrying out further investigation to try and establish the cause of death of that child and how the child came to be on the path.
"Obviously there is a mother out there who may be in need of some sort of medical assistance or emotional support.
"I would ask that if she's out there and hears this appeal that she gets in touch with us at Police Scotland so that we can provide her in the first instance with that assistance or support that she may need and, secondly, to try and establish just exactly how this baby came to be on the path."
The remains were found at around 5pm in undergrowth on Restalrig path near Seafield Cemetery. Police sealed off the area as a forensic team attended the scene.
Mr McLaren said it was difficult to say how long the remains might have been at the spot.
Appealing to the public for information, he added: "The quickest way for us to get answers is for the mother or a family relative or friend to get in touch with us if they have any suspicions about a mother who was expecting and is maybe not with child now. I would urge them to get in touch with us."