The skeleton of a baby found beneath the floorboards of a flat was full term and appears to have been undisturbed for a number of years, police have said.
The grisly find was made by contractors renovating a flat above a pizza shop on Fore Bondgate, Bishop Auckland, in County Durham on Monday morning.
The human remains were taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out on Friday morning, officers have said.
Forensics combed through the property for evidence on Tuesday afternoon, while three police vans sat outside.
Police forensic investigators enter a disused building in Fore Bondgate, Bishop Auckland in County Durham after a skeleton of a baby was found
Two PCSO’s speak to a forensic investigator at the scene in Fore Bondgate
The body of a baby was found in an empty flat above a pizza shop in Fore Bondgate, it is understood
A forensic investigator looking through paperwork at the scene in Fore Bondgate
A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: ‘The body of the baby has now been recovered from the scene and has been taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where a post-mortem examination will be held on Friday morning.
‘Police search teams have now completed their work in the building and have concluded that no other human remains were present.
‘Detectives are waiting for the results of forensic analysis, however, initial indications appear to suggest that the baby was full term and had been undisturbed for a number of years.’
The restaurant below the flat, Castle Pizza, opened for the first time on Monday but was forced to close due to the gruesome discovery.
The owner, who didn’t want to be named, said: ‘It’s a shock. I heard the remains are from 30 years ago.’ They added: ‘It’s a horrible thing to have happened.’
The remains being recovered from the building on Monday
The skeleton of the baby was found at a property in Fore Bondgate on Monday
The grisly find was made by contractors renovating a residential flat on Fore Bondgate which has been empty for a number of years, it is understood
Local councillor Sam Zair, who owns a cafe on the street, said: ‘This is a shock for the whole community. It’s difficult.
‘I have lived in Bishop Auckland all my life, and my father before me, and grandfather.
‘The property has been privately owned and rented over the years like a lot of the properties here.
‘I feel sorry for the poor workmen who made the discovery. They are bringing an empty flat back into use. It must have been horrendous for them.’
The street is mainly comprised of businesses, many of them empty, with only a few residential properties.
