Aidan family told after body found on riverbank

A dog walker made the discovery at around 3pm yesterday on the east bank of the River Lossie, near Lossiemouth in Moray.

Grampian Police said although the body has not been formally identified, the parents of missing teenager Aidan McPherson had been informed of the find.

The 19-year-old from Elgin was last seen by a friend at around 11pm in the Newmill Road area of the town on 31 December. Despite numerous appeals by police and searches, no trace of him has been found.

He was last seen wearing a dark Helly Hansen jacket, green zipped top with blue T-shirt underneath, blue jeans and white trainers.

In January, police divers searched the River Lossie near Elgin as part of the efforts to find the teenager.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out to establish the cause of death.

A spokesman for Grampian Police said: "On arrival, officers from Grampian Police found the body of a young man lying on the east bank about one and a half miles upstream from Lossiemouth.

"No formal identification has been made, but in the circumstances the family of Aidan McPherson have been contacted and made aware.

"The family are currently helping police with inquiries and will be kept fully updated. A report will be submitted to the procurator-fiscal."

In January the teenager's mother, Aileen McPherson made an emotional plea for him to get in touch and said she could not explain her youngest son's disappearance.

She said that his nine brothers and sisters had been putting up posters in an attempt to find him.

Mrs McPherson said: "He would have said if there was anything worrying him. If he didn't say it to me, he would have said to one of his brothers. He hasn't got that wide a circle of friends outside the family.

"We always know where he is. That is why it is so worrying. There has just been no contact and nobody has seen him."

The 59-year-old added: "It brought it home that this is real if they're going down that avenue (the search by divers]. That's the scary bit.

"I'm just shattered and I feel so helpless, I just stand at the window wishing he would come around the corner."

Aidan's older brother, Mark, said: "We're just so worried about him. It's not like him to be away for so long and have no contact."