Police 'disappointed' after no body found in hunt for Suzanne Pilley

POLICE said they were disappointed today after a major operation to find suspected murder victim Suzanne Pilley was stood down without the discovery of a body.

Ms Pilley, 38, vanished on her way to work in Edinburgh city centre on May 4.

More than 70 volunteers joined police in an "extensive" search of the Argyll Forest over the weekend, focusing on the area between the Rest and Be Thankful and Ardgartan.

They trawled through terrain graded into "likely" and "not so likely" areas in the hunt for Miss Pilley, but the search was stood down last night.

Lothian and Borders Police today confirmed that no significant discoveries were made during the two-day operation.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Flannigan said: "Everyone involved is understandably disappointed, particularly for the Pilley family, that the extensive search this weekend did not result in the recovery of Suzanne's body.

"Once again, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who have volunteered to help and given up their time, in an admirable effort to assist the inquiry.

"I have been humbled by the support we have received from all over Scotland. The terrain is particularly difficult to navigate, but all the teams rose to the challenge and covered a vast expanse of forest.

"I would like to reassure Suzanne's family and friends that we will never stop searching, and will always act on information that comes in."

Ms Pilley failed to turn up for work in May after taking a bus to the Thistle Street premises of Infrastructure Managers.

Within days the focus switched to Argyll, where officers and dog teams began searching parts of the vast area between Tyndrum and Inveraray.

In June, David Gilroy, 47, was released on bail after appearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court charged with murder and breach of the peace in connection with the investigation.

Miss Pilley's father Robert, 67, last week spoke of the heartbreak his family has been through since his youngest daughter disappeared.

He said: "If we could put a closure to it, maybe the grieving would be a lot better.

"It's just one of these things - we never seem to be able to get to the end of it.

"We just take it day by day. The whole family is just totally devastated. I just don't know when it's going to end."