Police detectives who are trying to track down relatives of a woman who lay dead in her Edinburgh flat for up to five years have said they are making good progress.
Isabella Purves, who was found in her top-floor flat in the Canonmills area of the city at the end of June, would have been 90 this year.
It is thought the police will be speaking to a relative over the next few days.
The badly decomposed body of Ms Purves was discovered after a neighbour in the area north of the city reported water leaking. Police entered the flat after they were unable to contact the owner.
Isabella Purves and the flat she lived in
Neighbours had presumed the pensioner had moved out or that the flat was up for rent. They spoke of their horror after Ms Purves was found.
It appears Ms Purves' pension went straight into her bank account and she paid her bills by direct debit. Police have said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.
Douglas McLellan, of Age Concern and Help the Aged in Scotland, said it was a "tragic case".
He said: "If she was not receiving care treatment from anyone and not receiving social care, then the likelihood of being found quickly is minimal. The question is not just about public services finding people and neighbours checking up, it's about how elderly people themselves are living their lives.
"If they're leading private lives, then how are people going to find them? Society has fractured. We're not in the same units as we used to be.”
Mr McLellan urged people to take more notice of their neighbours and "knock on doors" if there is any concern.
Last updated: 08 July 2009, 17:56
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