Man charged with mother’s murder after Corstorphine Hill body identified

A man whose mother’s body was discovered in a shallow grave in a nature reserve has appeared in court charged with her murder.

James Dunleavy, 39, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

Remains found on the city’s Corstorphine Hill by a cyclist last month were identified yesterday by Police Scotland as those of Phyllis Dunleavy, 66, from Dublin.

The identification followed a major appeal which spanned the globe.

Mrs Dunleavy’s remains gave detectives few clues but they circulated photographs of the distinctive rings she wore and published details of her dental work in trade magazines to solve the mystery.

The investigators received more than 30 calls from as far away as Israel after releasing a facial reconstruction image.

The picture was produced by experts at Dundee University using CT scans of the woman’s skull.

A family member in Ireland saw the image and contacted police.

Police said on Friday that they had identified the body before naming the victim.

Dunleavy made no plea or declaration at court and the case was continued for further examination.

He was remanded in custody and is due to appear again on July 17.