The remains of three newborn babies believed to have been hidden since the 1980s have been discovered by police.
Officers made the find in the early hours of Sunday at a house in Merseyside following a tip-off. It is believed the babies, found in Harlow Close, St Helens, could have been born as long ago as the mid-1980s.
Two women aged 54 and 38 and a 26-year-old man were questioned by police following the find, before being released pending further inquiries.
Merseyside Police said forensic tests were being carried out to determine the age and sex of the children.
Detective Superintendent Steve Naylor, leading the investigation, said: “Following a call to us, we attended at an address in St Helens where human remains were discovered.
“The remains are believed to be that of newborn babies and at this stage of the inquiry it is believed they are the remains of three babies.
“The investigation has only recently commenced and a number of lines of inquiry are being explored.
“We cannot speculate as to the cause or circumstances of the deaths and any inappropriate supposition is likely to have a severe impact on the investigation and the family concerned.
“This looks like being a complex investigation, and a lot of hard work needs to be done before we can ascertain what the full circumstances are surrounding this situation.”
Police stood guard today outside the small property on the red brick housing estate.
The house, with a white front door, is in a terrace of five two-storey homes, with small front and back gardens.
Neighbours were shocked to hear of the discovery in their community and spoke about what they saw.
Lyn Murphy, 44, has been living in the street for 14 years.
She said officers came to Harlow Close at about 6am on Sunday and arrested one man, who was quiet as they led him away in handcuffs.
Following that, she saw a number of small coffins being brought into the house by undertakers and taken away some time later.
Ms Murphy said: “I believe the bodies were in the attic, because I heard the police making noises upstairs as they were searching the house.
“The attics in these houses are very close together.” She said there has been plenty of police activity around the house since it was raided on Sunday.
“There have been police forensics going in and out of the house for the past few days.
“Since Sunday there must have been three or four vans come by.” Neighbours said they thought the tip-off might have been linked to a row between women after an Ann Summers party nearby on Saturday night.
Police were called as the alcohol-fuelled fracas continued on the street.
Neighbours said officers returned the following day to remove a computer and papers from the address.
PA