Human remains found at a nature reserve are not those of murder victim Suzanne Pilley, police have confirmed.
A body was discovered by a member of the public in a shallow grave in woodland at Corstorphine Hill, Edinburgh, at around 5.30pm on Thursday.
Police Scotland revealed that the remains belong to an unidentified female.
And they confirmed that, contrary to speculation, the body was not that of Ms Pilley, a 38-year-old book-keeper who went missing from her Edinburgh home more than three years ago.
Her ex-lover David Gilroy was found guilty of her murder in March last year although her body has never been found.
In relation to the Corstorphine Hill discovery, police said their focus is now on trying to identify the female and work out how she died.
Detective Chief Inspector Keith Hardie, of the major investigation team, is leading the inquiry.
He said: “Good progress was made over the weekend with a lot of support from a wide variety of specialists.
“The remains have been fully excavated and the detailed examination of the site will continue over the next few days. Our focus is now on trying to identify the victim and then determine the circumstances surrounding her death.”
The scene was cordoned off while police and other agencies conducted the forensic recovery operation.
Gilroy, 50, described by prosecutors as a deceitful and controlling individual, was jailed for life in April last year and ordered to spend a minimum of 18 years behind bars after being convicted by a jury of murdering Ms Pilley.
The book-keeper vanished after making her usual journey to work in Edinburgh city centre in May 2010. She never arrived at her desk, having been killed at her workplace that morning.
Evidence showed Gilroy was driven to kill when Ms Pilley told him their relationship was over and she had started seeing other men.
It is believed that Gilroy subsequently abandoned her body in a remote grave in Argyll. Police have always pledged to pursue any new information which could help recover her body.