Murder hunt after Corstorphine Hill body find POLICE have launched a murder inquiry after it was revealed the body of woman whose remains was found on Corstorphine Hill had been dismembered. An appeal has been made for help identifying the middle-aged victim, whose body was found by a cyclist last Thursday. Since then a detailed and careful excavation of the site has been undertaken by forensic experts and a post mortem was carried out on Tuesday. Detective Chief Inspector Keith Hardie of the Specialist Crime Division's Major Investigation Team said: "The victim's body had been dismembered before it was buried on Corstorphine Hill. We believed this may have been within a time frame of a matter of a few weeks but possibly as much as six months. This is a murder investigation and our immediate focus is on identifying this woman, and establishing the circumstances around her death. We need the public's support to achieve this. This is someone's daughter, it may be someone's mother and I am appealing today to the public to consider if there is a mother, a daughter or a friend you have not seen or heard from for the past few weeks or months, and the person fits the following description I would urge you to contact us now. He went on to say that the detailed forensic work carried out had revealed the woman was white, middle aged, slim and "short in height." She had also had "significant" cosmetic work carried out on her teeth. Detectives also recovered a number of rings, including two distinctive gold rings - one in the design of a daisy, the other heart shaped. Appeal for witnesses DCI Hardie continued: "I feel confident that someone will recognise the description of the lady's teeth and the rings, together with the general description of a slim middle aged lady who has disappeared." Mr Hardie is also convinced that the body was dismembered elsewhere and later taken to Corstorphine Hill. He is asking people who use this popular nature reserve to consider if they may have seen anyone who, on reflection, could have been involved in depositing the body in this area. Can you recall, anytime since the end of last year, seeing a person or individuals on the hill with particularly large rucksacks/backpacks or carrying tools, If so, please get in touch with us. Chief Inspector Murray Dykes, of Police Scotland Edinburgh Division, said: "This is a distressing case but I want to reassure people that it is also a very unusual one. Corstorphine Hill is very popular, well used and a safe place to walk, cycle and enjoy some leisure time. While there are very few reports of crime relating to that area, I have had high visibility patrols in place since Thursday to provide reassurance and these will continue for the time being. These officers will be engaging with members of the public and people can pass on information through them if they wish or at the Police Command vehicle which is currently situated on Balgreen Road. Corstorphine Hill body find not Suzanne Pilley