Timeline leading up to discovery of boy's body
Wednesday January 15
2100: Mikaeel is last seen going to bed at his home address in Ferry Gait Crescent, Edinburgh
Thursday January 16
0400: Temperatures drop to 2.3C (36F), according to Met Office figures
0715: Mikaeel's mother discovers he is missing from his bed
0900: Police Scotland reveal that they have launched a search for the boy. A large hunt is well under way in the Drylaw area and officers are assisted by a police helicopter
Read: Boy's family 'lived in Fife' before moving to Edinburgh
1020: Police release an image of the missing boy, who is described as being of Asian appearance and possibly wearing a beige hooded jacket, blue jogging bottoms, brown shoes and nightwear
1055: Police Scotland superintendent Liz McAinsh tells reporters there is no evidence to suggest criminality but officers are "keeping an open mind". It emerges that Mikaeel's jacket and shoes are not within his home. Police are looking into whether the boy may have left the home of his own volition. People in the local area are urged to look in their gardens, sheds and any areas where a three-year-old might go. The boy's mother is said to be distraught
1320: The detention of a man near Mikaeel's home is not connected with the police inquiry, officers say
1430: Coastguard teams and lifeboats search the shoreline in the Cramond and Drylaw area. Neighbours and individuals have also been out searching throughout the day
1600: A dedicated telephone line is established as part of a Child Rescue Alert, supported by all police forces across the UK. The number is 0300 200 0200
1630: People are asked to urgently check all property including gardens, outbuildings, garages, sheds and vehicles for the youngster as darkness falls. Police issue an updated description of Mikaeel, adding that he has a faded scar on the bridge of his nose and a sore on the left hand side of his mouth
1700: A full-scale search involving the emergency services and worried neighbours continuing through the evening and into the night as concern grows for Mikaeel
2100: A new image of missing Mikaeel is released by Police Scotland. It shows him in the beige jacket he was believed to be wearing when he disappeared
Friday January 17
Overnight: Neighbours and the emergency services search through the night for the child but there is still no trace of him
0700: Supt McAinsh says there has been a "fantastic" response from the public and urged anyone with information to contact them
The search, using specialist officers, police dogs and horses and the air support unit, continues. Police are now said to be "deeply concerned" as they make a fresh appeal for help to find the three-year-old. It emerges that more than 150 calls have been made to the helpline but there have been no confirmed sightings
1000: Hundreds of people gather at the North Neighbourhood Centre in West Pilton Gardens to help search for Mikaeel
1345: A "potential sighting" of a child matching Mikaeel's description at 8.30am on Thursday in West Pilton Gardens, Edinburgh is being investigated, police say. The child, described as "small in build and alone" and wearing a cap, is caught on CCTV but it is not confirmed as Mikaeel. Volunteers, including firefighters and mothers pushing prams, take part in a search of the foreshore at Cramond, in north-west Edinburgh
1745: Assistant chief constable Malcolm Graham says police are exploring whether Mikaeel's disappearance came after a "criminal act". He says that while it is possible he left the family's flat of his own accord, it is "entirely possible that Mikaeel has become subject of a criminal act", and that police are carrying out dual investigations to explore every eventuality
1815: Mr Graham says all immediate family members have been traced and spoken to by police, and a lengthy timeline of Mikaeel's movements before his disappearance has been established. Ms McAinsh said Mikaeel has not been at nursery since the Christmas break because he has been ill. Forensics officers are seen entering the family's home during the afternoon
2030: Police thank the more than 200 volunteers who helped during the day, and said their own search would continue through the night
Saturday January 18
0110: Police reveal in a hastily arranged news conference that a body believed to be that of Mikaeel was found just before midnight in Fife. Police confirms that a person, understood by ITV News to be Mikaeel's mother, Rosdeep Kular, has been detained in connection with the death and Mikaeel's family has been informed.