Police criticised after volunteers find body in search for tourist

On Saturday, Adam Weir, part of a team of volunteers organised by Lorna VanderZanden, discovered human remains near the last known location of tourist Susan McLean, 61, before she disappeared three months ago.

Ms McLean’s family have been informed of the discovery.

Ms VanderZanden, 61, is now demanding the police force explain why it was not able to locate the remains - which have not yet been officially identified - before the volunteers got there.

It is the latest embarrassment for Scotland’s police force, coming after a high-profile incident in which the body of a man and an injured woman were found in a crashed car three days after the accident was reported.

Speaking to The Courier, Ms VanderZanden said: “I am totally astonished that I could come here and find Susan McLean in four weeks with eight volunteers on two Saturdays when Police Scotland could not find her in three months.

“I was told repeatedly that police and cadaver dogs had searched the entire area from Moness to Gatehouse Nursery to Loch Hoil trail to the Birks of Aberfeldy.

“We found her a couple hundred yards north of Loch Hoil trail, 25ft from the edge of a section of forest, half a mile west of Crieff Road.

“How could police and cadaver dogs miss her when she was so close to the secondary trail just north of Loch Hoil trail?”

Susan McLean was on a two-week tour of Scotland with her family when she was reported missing from her holiday lodge in Aberfeldy in May.

Superintendent Graeme Murdoch told the newspaper that police searches “had not concluded” at the time of the discovery, but admitted they did not intend to search the area where the remains were found.

He said: “The remains were well off the track, through the trees. Adam Weir indicated that he had to break branches to get through to where it was.

“Without a reason to believe that any person would have battled their own way into the trees, our priority was to search the open areas – the areas assessed by the search advisers – whereby someone who was walking or may have met with an accident was most likely to be.

“If there were any shortcomings or failings in terms of our response, we would be transparent about that.”

The death is being treated as unexplained and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.