Police failed to fully investigate two potential leads in the case a missing US tourist, it has been claimed.
Less than two days after Susan McLean vanished, a dog walker on the Loch Hoil trail, on the outskirts of Aberfeldy, found fresh blood on her pet’s paws and head.
While officers searched the area at the time, they failed to immediately test the blood found on the dog to determine if it was human.
Detectives investigating the case finally collected the dog’s collar and blanket on Thursday night, almost 10 weeks after Susan was last seen.
The dog’s owner also discovered a lip balm, which friends believe could possibly belong to the mother-of-two.
The items will now undergo DNA testing to establish if there is a link to Susan.
A friend of the McLean family, Lorna VanderZanden, who has travelled to the UK to reignite the search, said she was “very disappointed” that action had not been taken sooner.
She likened the case to that of Lamara Bell and John Yuill, who died after a report of their car crash on the M9 went uninvestigated for three days.
She said: “There was a recent case where it took Police Scotland three days to respond to the report of a car gone off the road.
“We wonder if these incidents are a trend within Police Scotland.
“Perhaps they would like to explain these blunders, and possibly apologise to the grieving and bereft families for their shortcomings.”
She added: “Family and friends are saddened and disappointed with Police Scotland for failing to fully investigate two potential early leads in Susan’s case.
“We just don’t understand how such serious gaps could have occurred within the ranks of Police Scotland.
“We do believe that CID is now on top of it, 10 weeks after the two leads were discovered and reported to police.”
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “Police Scotland received a call from a dog walker on May 20 indicating that her dog had blood on it after walking through woods the previous day.
“As the highest priority was to locate Susan McLean officers immediately attended the area and conducted a thorough search which did not provide any further information about her whereabouts.
“Nine weeks later we received a report from the same dog owner suggesting that her dog’s collar and blanket had traces of blood on it.
“Officers immediately seized the collar and blanket and these have been sent for forensic examination as part of the ongoing investigation.”