A DNA probe on a skeleton found in a Bishop Auckland home is well underway, months after contractors discovered the body underneath the floorboards. 

Crime scene investigators were called to a flat on Fore Bondgate on July 29 this year human remains were found beneath the floor of an upstairs room. 

Forensic analysts believed that the baby - which was found wrapped in newspaper with a twine wrapped around its neck - had laid undisturbed since the early 20th century. 

Since July, detectives have continued to investigate the remains.

CSI teams in Bishop Auckland following the discovery of a skeletonCSI teams in Bishop Auckland following the discovery of a skeleton (Image: TERRY BLACKBURN)

In a fresh update on the probe, The Northern Echo now understands that carbon dating has confirmed the skeletal remains date back to before 1955, aligning with the initial assessments that they could be from around 1910. 

A DNA sample is also currently being processed by the National Missing Persons Database - and once results are available, detectives will begin coordinating DNA sampling with the family to determine if there are any potential matches.

As previously reported, the Bishop Auckland flat was swarmed by police and CSI teams after the discovery was made, leaving the community in shock. 

Police outside the flatPolice outside the flat (Image: TERRY BLACKBURN)

Bishop Auckland Councillor Sam Zair said he was “dumbfounded” by the discovery - describing it as “tragic”.

The body was believed to have remained untouched since the early 20th century - with a fragment of the newspaper it was wrapped in dating back to 1910. 

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Officers confirmed at the time that the baby was full term, and that the circumstances surrounding its death are likely to have been suspicious. 

As the investigation was launched in July, police said they would be tracing historic records for the Victorian-era property to identify who lived there. 

At one stage, the building housed a church-run mother-and-baby unit, although it was initially believed that the baby was concealed before then.