Partial human skeletal remains found on a site off the Lower Rathmines Road in Dublin have been removed to the city mortuary to undergo tests.
The remains were discovered on Thursday evening during works on common ground at Lissenfield.
A forensic anthropologist visited the site to carry out inquiries, as did members of the Garda Technical Bureau.
The Irish Times understands that no effort appeared to have been made to bury the remains, on which no flesh or clothing remained.
They are believed to date from the last two decades. The extraction of DNA, which will the be cross-referenced with lists of missing persons, will be crucial in identifying the person.
A key element of the investigation will be putting a date on the remains. This would allow an inquiry into the circumstances of the bones being found to take shape, sources said.
Gardaí are not clear if the person died and their body lay undiscovered at the location for a period or if the person died elsewhere and the bones were placed there.
Sources said it was too early to have any theories on who the dead person might and that the remains would need to be dated and before an effort is made to establish a cause of death.
In a statement, a Garda spokesman said the findings of a postmortem would determine the course of the investigation into the discovery.
