LATE-night taxi drivers in Edinburgh could hold vital clues to the death of an American-born hotel steward whose body was found in the garden of his home on Tuesday morning.

Lothian and Borders Police said yesterday the death of Mr James Marc Brandon, 44, of Warriston Terrace, was still being treated as suspicious and a full investigation remained under way.

Appealing for public help in piecing together the last movements of the father-of-two, known as Marc, a police spokesman said: ''We do want any members of the public who were in that area between 8.30pm on Monday and 7.30am on Tuesday to come forward.

''We would be interested in speaking to people like taxi drivers who may have seen someone behaving suspiciously in the Warriston area. We would be particularly interested if they had seen a person with any kind of injury,'' said the spokesman.

Details of how Mr Brandon died remain confidential as detectives believe it could be important to the investigation.

Yesterday, the hotel where Mr Brandon worked paid tribute to the father-of-two.

Acting general manager of the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Ian Stackhouse, said: ''We are very sorry to learn of the death of Marc Brandon. He was a well-liked and respected employee and will be greatly missed.

Mrs Brandon, a schoolteacher, had just returned to Edinburgh from the US with her children, Nicole, 13, and Marc, 11. Both children are pupils at the city's George Heriot's School.

The family are being comforted by relatives as they try to come to terms with the death.