The body of an infant was discovered in a disused shed on a farm near the village of Kildalkey, Co Meath, last night.
Gardaí were carrying out a technical examination at the scene and a postmortem will take place this afternoon in Our Lady's Hospital, Navan.
The body, which had been wrapped in blankets, was found by a man working on a nearby building site, around 4.30pm. He raised the alarm.
Gardaí were unable to say whether it was a boy or a girl. The scene was sealed off and preserved for examination. The shed was on a farm about one mile from Kildalkey on the Athboy road.
Partial decomposition had begun indicating that the body had not been in situ for very long although it was not possible to give an age for the infant. The Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, was notified and will carry out the postmortem.