A mummified body which was dumped in an overgrown garden 12 years ago is thought to be a Bradford teenager who had disappeared three years earlier.

For more than a decade mystery has surrounded the partially-preserved corpse which was discovered on a pile of builder's timber in Leeds in January 1991.

But detectives now believe it to be 18-year-old Donna Louise Healey, pictured, who was last seen alive in March 1988.

Early today officers visited Donna's family home in Roxby Street, Little Horton, in a bid to prove or dispel their theory. It is understood officers retrieved a number of items from the house as well as taking a saliva sample from a living relative. They will later compare the swab with a full DNA profile extracted from the remains to see if the pair match. The process should take about a month.

Detective Inspector Chris Binns said the body was found on January 15, 1991 in the grounds of a private clinic in Allerton Park, Chapel Allerton, Leeds.

He said: "The premises was being renovated at the time and a builder had placed some planks of wood and other materials behind a wall, ready for use the next day.

"When he did return, he found the body lying on top of the wood."

Later tests showed the unidentified person - whom a pathologist initially believed was a man - could have died more than a year earlier. While a corpse would normally decompose completely during this time, it is understood the body was partially preserved in a "mummified" state for some reason.

Although Donna had disappeared three years earlier - leaving her family home on the eve of her 18th birthday - police did not link her to the gruesome find because she was not actually reported missing to them until 1997.

The investigation is now focussing on Donna's whereabouts before she disappeared as well as the location in which the mummified body was stored.

Early examinations of the remains failed to uncover a precise cause of death.

Det Insp Binns said: "We know that after leaving home Donna frequented the Leeds area and she may well have lived there.

"We would urge anyone who knows where she stayed, where she used to go and anything about her lifestyle to contact us. They could hold information vital to this inquiry."

He said while various factors suggested the body was Donna, breakthroughs in DNA testing would conclusively confirm or dispel this.

Experts have produced two clay reconstructions of the 'mummy's' face based on the skeletal remains. One of these was broadcast on the BBC's Crimewatch programme in 1991.

"If the body is not Donna's, she remains a missing person and in that case we need to establish her current whereabouts," said Det Insp Binns.

"If it does turn out to be her, the next question which needs answering is how she died and how she came to be where she was found."

He stressed that the public could play a major role in the inquiry and urged people to think back to the time Donna was last seen alive.

He said: "In March 1988 Prince Charles was almost killed in an avalanche in Switzerland, Lester Piggott was in jail for tax evasion and Ian Botham was fined for offensive behaviour on a plane over Australia."

He also highlighted memorable chart hits at the time - Kylie Minogue's I Should Be So Lucky and Don't Turn Around by Aswad.

And Det Insp Binns added: "Donna's family has suffered greatly over the years, not knowing what happened to their daughter. Obviously they now face the next few weeks waiting to hear if it was Donna's body which was found.

"We have a specially trained family liaison officer helping them through this difficult time."

Anyone with information should contact Bradford South Police on (01274) 376459.