Body left on traffic island for two years

A woman's decomposing remains were found yesterday on the central reservation of a ring road near Wolverhampton city centre, where they are thought to have been for more than two years.

A woman's decomposing remains were found yesterday on the central reservation of a ring road near Wolverhampton city centre, where they are thought to have been for more than two years.

Detectives are treating the woman's death as suspicious, but stressed that it was too early to determine the cause.

They believe her to be an adult because of the size of the skeleton. They have called in a forensic archaeologist to help them establish the identity of the body.

Contractors who were widening the St Patrick's section of the road found the woman's bodyat about midday yesterday, said a West Midlands Police spokesman.

That section of road, lying between Wolverhampton railwaystation and the Molineaux football stadium, is extremely busy and is not open to pedestrians, police said.

A post mortem is due to be carried out today.

A forensic archaeologist will help build up an accurate picture of the victim using well-established techniques similar to those used in identifying archaeological remains thousands of years old.

Extensive knowledge of how bones develop means an age range can be quickly established and heights can be accurately estimated from just a single thigh bone.

Whether someone is right or left handed can also be established by the thickness of an arm bone.

The police spokesman said officers would be making cross references between the regional missing persons' register and dental records, and may even consider DNA testing to help establish the identity of the woman.