Police are understood to be investigating a link between a human body which was found in a tent in the outskirts of Inverness and a bike chained to a lamp post at a nearby golf club.
The human remains are thought to have lain for several months or longer before the grim discovery in a secluded wood area by the disused Torvean Quarry, close to the A82 road, just a few days ago. The identity of the deceased remains unknown.
But yesterday a staff member of Torvean Golf Club contacted the police following the find, suspecting that an abandoned silver bicycle padlocked to a lamp post at the club car park may have belonged to an older man thought to be living in the nearby woods.
Another member of staff, who did not want to be named, told The Press and Journal that the bike had been there for nearly a year and that it did not belong to any club members.
The staff member said that police arrived at the club yesterday at about 3.30pm to speak to staff about the bike, adding that they are likely to return today to cut it free for examination.
Last night the bike could still be seen padlocked to a lamp post at the end of the car park closest to the woods where the body was found, just a few hundred yards away.
The staff member added: “People know that there was an older gentleman staying in the woods, and that the bike has been there for nearly a year, so it’s not likely to be anyone else’s.”
Police said that they were made aware of the tent on Sunday evening, and that within it they discovered human remains which appeared to have been there for several months or longer.
The area has several paths and is popular with dog walkers. The tent was found pitched in a quiet area at the top of a steep bank some distance above a path.
It remains unknown how the person died – a post-mortem will be held – and the death is being treated as unexplained.
Forensic staff continued to examine the scene on Tuesday but yesterday the tent appeared to have been removed, and all that could be seen was some leftover yellow tape wrapped around several tree trunks.