Tragically people in Edinburgh and across Scotland go missing each day. The vast majority are happily found safe, but many never get that chance.
For police, the discovery of a body can be the start of a riddle. There is no guarantee someone will be identified quickly and that is certainly true of the 22 cases in Scotland stretching back decades that remain unsolved, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
The UK Missing Persons Unit contains details of hundreds of instances across Britain of bodies being found but no identification being made.
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On some occasions, cops have been able to create computerised images of what they think the person may have looked like. But with cases stretching back over 50 years, it is likely many will never be answered.
Here is the full list from Edinburgh, the Lothians and across Scotland:
Edinburgh festival mystery
A male found hanging In Edinburgh was believed to be a vagrant from Northern Scotland who may have been heading to the Edinburgh Festival to work as a street artist. The man, estimated to be aged between 25 and 40, was found on December 22, 1987. Among his possessions was a sketchbook with drawings of Whiteley Bay, the 'Moorings' Pub in Aberdeen, the 'Ferry Boat Inn' Pub in Ullapool and the Waverley Centre in Edinburgh.
Golf death
The body of a male was found in the River Tay at Tayport, Fife on August 3, 1984. It was thought the body, which belonged to a white European aged 20-30, had been in the water for two to three weeks and the person may have attended The Open Championship at St Andrew's in July that year.
Body in the Tay
The River Tay in Perthshire was the scene of a horror find on June 24, 1989. The decomposed remains of a male aged around 60 was found at Glencarse. Police said at the time he may have been wearing a white or fawn coloured jumper.
Body on the railway
A male was found hanging on the Edinburgh to Glasgow railway line in Midlothian with police believing he had been dead for 12 hours. The discovery was made on July 10, 1984. He was believed to be white European and aged around 50.
Woman found on beach
Computer image of woman found dead in Dumfries and Galloway (Image: UK Missing person's unit)
On August 9, 2017, the decomposed body of a female was discovered on remote Portencorkrie Bay in Dumfries and Galloway. She was thought to be between 16 and 45 years old and was of unknown ethnicity.
Body on the golf course
This is what police belive a man found in woods near a golf course looked like (Image: UK missing persons unit)
The remains of a man, believed to be white European, aged between 20 and 40 was found hanging in a densely wooded area of a golf course near the village of Balmore in East Dunbartonshire. Police believe he had been dead for several months as the body was "almost skeletal". The grim discovery was made on October 16, 2011.
Man with the newspaper
An image of the man wearing a hat (Image: UK Missing Persons Unit)
The body of a man with a copy of Italian newspaper 'La Repubblica' was found at Burnside Plantation in Dumfries and Galloway on December 20, 2010. The man, believed to be between 40 and 65, was given an estimated date of death of November 13, 2010. He was white European and was wearing a green hunter's hat.
Young man's remains found on beach
On March 20, 2007, the remains of a man aged between 16 and 25 were found on Broughty Ferry beach in Angus. Police said he was "believed to have been in the water for months rather than weeks". He was wearing a pair of Reebok trainers but his ethnicity is unknown.
Body in the water for six months
A computer image of what the woman was believed to have looked like (Image: UK Missing Persons Unit)
The body of a woman aged 30-50 was found on the beach at Port Logan near Stranraer on November 22, 2006. It was believed to have been in the water for up to six months. The woman was believed to be white European. She was linked to several missing person reports but has never been identified.
Right foot and shoe
A single right foot and shoe was washed ashore in Dundee on June 4, 1985. The gender is unknown but the foot is believed to have belonged to someone aged 20-60.
Highland discovery
On May 7, 1985 the skeletal remains of a male aged 55-60 was found hanging In Leanachan Forest near Fort William. No time or date was established for death but it was thought to have occurred after 1979. The man was white European.
Carbon monoxide death
The far north of Scotland was the scene where the body of a man was found in a car. On August 29, 1982 police discovered the male in a white Renault at Durness. It is believed the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning and the man, a white European aged between 25 and 40, had been dead for two to three weeks.
Body found near Shetland
The body of a male aged 30-50 was recovered from the sea some 35 miles north west of Muckle Flugga, Shetland. He was believed to have been in the water for three or four months and was found on September 19, 1978.
Vagrant who died of 'natural causes'
On May 24, 1978, a body was found in a hay shed on Rockhall Mains Farm, Nithsdale in Dumfries and Galloway. The male, aged between 50 and 65, was believed to be a vagrant who died of natural causes.
Body on the beach
The decomposed body of a white European male aged between 20 and 30 was found on Auchenmalg Beach in Dumfries and Galloway. It was believed to have been in the water for three to four months when it was found on October 26, 1977.
Woman in the water
On March 28, 1973, the body of a female was found on the foreshore of the Solway Firth in Dumfries and Galloway. She was believed to have been in the water for six to eight weeks and had partial upper and lower dentures. She was white European and aged around 40.
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Others
- A female body was found on the Beach at Milsey Bay, East Lothian on October 31, 1972. She was white European and aged around 65.
The body of a man was found In the Caledonian Canal at Inverness. His pockets had been weighted down with stones and he was believed to have been dead for approximately four to six weeks. The discovery was made on August 26, 1971 and he was aged between 45 and 55.
The body of a woman was found on the foreshore at Kingsbarn, Fife on June 8, 1971. She had no teeth but there was no evidence of denture wear. Two burr holes existed in the skull above and behind each ear as a result of surgery. She was aged around 60 and her ethnicity was unknown.
The remains of a male aged between 50 and 70 were found near Aviemore in the Highlands. His skeletal remains were found on July 30 at Kiveachy Moor. He was believed to have been dead for approximately one to two years.
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