By Shaun Milne
MURDER squad detectives searching for missing Edinburgh woman Suzanne Pilley are closing in on where they think her body has been dumped.
Teams of officers are now combing what they described as areas of “specific interest” in Argyll in the hope of finding the bookkeeper’s remains.
Lothian and Borders Police have called in specialist dog teams to track key areas in the Argyll Forest near Glen Croe.
The potential breakthrough comes after trawling through dozens of statements from members of the public who responded to police appeals for help tracking the movements of a silver car in the area.
Forensic evidence including soil samples are also reported to have played a part in narrowing the search area.
Suzanne, 38, disappeared from outside her work at Infrastructure Managers in Edinburgh city centre on the morning of May , the day before the car was tracked to the area now the focus of police activity.
Police have said all along that knowing where the car was driven would be key to finding her remains and are believed to have used CCTV images and reports from a mobile phone to lead them to the area.
Specialist search techniques based on previous inquiries have helped police narrow the search area between the Rest and Be Thankful beauty spot and Glen Orchy.
Detective Chief Inspector, Gary Flannigan, said the search strategy was influenced by critical information from the public.
And he said given the scale of the response, his team of officers could yet find new leads from witnesses not yet interviewed.
Support
He said: “I am hugely grateful to the public for their continued support and response to any appeals for information.
“We have provided specific information on dates and times for sightings of a silver car in the area – any information we get from the public regarding this car’s movements is fed straight into our inquiry team.
“We are endeavouring to respond to everyone who has taken the time to contact us as a result of our appeals; the information they provide will be investigated, and we will try in every case, to call the person back to update them on the outcome.”
He added: “We are using, and will continue to use, the best national resources available as national consultation is vital in such an unusual and challenging investigation.
“Suzanne’s family are fully aware of this, and are being kept updated throughout this inquiry.”
Appeal
The most recent appeal has centred on the area around the Glen Croe Forest on the A83.
Police previously appealed for witnesses who saw a silver car or took pictures in the area on May 5 between 1pm and 3.30pm, or in the evening, between 6pm and 8.30pm to contact them.
Suzanne’s former live in lover David Gilroy, 47, a work colleague, was questioned by police early on in the investigation.
He denied any knowledge of her death or disappearance.
Today he was at home with his wife overseeing repair work to a back door damaged in an alleged break in.
He claimed a mobile phone, laptop and games console were taken in the raid.
Anyone with any information as to Suzanne’s whereabouts was asked to contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or the charity Crimestoppers, in confidence any complete anonymity, on 0800 555 111.
