British police said today they had arrested three people after discovering human remains, believed to be those of three newborn babies, at a house in Merseyside.
Officers found the remains, which could date back to the mid-1980s, at the house in St Helens on Sunday after they received a tip-off.
"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," said Detective Superintendent Steve Naylor.
"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."
Two women aged 54 and 38 and a 26-year-old man have been arrested in connection with the finds and released on police bail.
A police spokeswoman said the investigation was at a very early stage.
Medical and forensic inquiries were being carried out to determine the age and sex of the babies and how they died.
"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," Mr Naylor said.
Reuters