Hundreds attend funeral of unknown baby

Around 200 people were at the service at Seafield, which was led by Reverend Erica Wishart.

A large number of toys, flowers, and tributes were left by Edinburgh residents.

The remains of the child had been found wrapped in a blanket on an old railway path in the Seafield area of Edinburgh in July 2013.

Despite extensive efforts to find the boy’s mother and wider family, they have never been traced and his identity remains a mystery.

The service for the boy, who may have been up to six weeks old, was arranged by Police Scotland.

Members of the public were invited to attend.

A notice printed recently in the Scotsman newspaper said: “Unknown Little Baby Boy (Seafield, Edinburgh). With deep sadness, the little baby boy who was found wrapped in his blanket on the walkway / cycle path at Restalrig, Seafield, Edinburgh, will be laid to rest at Seafield Cemetery, on Friday, May 1, 2015, at 10 am, to which all will be warmly invited to come along and pay their final respects to this little baby boy.”

Announcing the funeral plan, Detective Inspector Rory Hamilton said: “The tragic death of this young baby and the continued efforts to trace his family really touched a nerve with the local community and we are grateful to the public for all the assistance they provided us with.

“We have yet to receive the vital piece of information that can help us identify the child’s mother and we will now lay the infant to rest.”