Stricken friends of missing Perth man Iain Guthrie have begged for more help from the public and the police to shed light on his last known movements.
It is now 19 days since he was reported missing at the same time the alarm was raised that someone was in distress in the River Tay close to the Queens Bridge in Perth.
The alert sparked a massive search of the river by search and rescue services including a Coastguard helicopter but the search was suspended shortly afterwards with no trace of anyone in the water.
Mr Guthrie is still missing to this day and the lack of fresh information regarding his baffling disappearance has caused “considerable stress” to his family and friends, who endured a Christmas of torment.
In an effort to turn the spotlight on the 20-year-old once again, a social media appeal has been made by one friend, Johnny Nicoll, who was Mr Guthrie’s worker at the New School, Butterstone and maintained a friendship after he left school.
He said: “As a close friend of Iain’s for eight years I am endeavouring to keep him in the public domain until he is located.
“There is a feeling among family and friends that has been forgotten about. It is really concerning for everyone who knows him.
“I have started my own social media campaign in the hope that someone’s memory might be jogged in relation to his disappearance and any circumstances which might have been a contributing factor.”
Johnny said his friend was a “vulnerable young man” but also outgoing and had been blessed with many friends in the Perth area.
He hopes that one of those friends may still have information that could help.
“Iain had lots of friends in the Perth area and was out with them a lot,” he said.
“We all assume that he was out with some of them at the time, but never made it back to his accommodation.
“There is so much more information we need. We don’t really know what his movements were in the hours before his disappearance.
“The family hasn’t been told whether there is any CCTV footage of his last known movements. He supposedly walked from Perth city centre on the night of December 19, so footage from the Queen’s Bridge area might shed some light on who he was with that night or any other circumstances that might have led to his disappearance.
“I would urge anyone has information about Iain to get in touch with the police.
“Please help us find Iain, or at least support the appeal for information as to his whereabouts.”
Johnny said the silence had taken its toll on family and friends alike, though all had rallied around to offer each other support.
“I have been keeping in touch with Iain’s mum Louise, as have several colleagues from the school who have been helping to support her.
“She is obviously hugely upset and anxious and she too feels that there has not been enough information forthcoming from the authorities.”
High-profile search
Reports of a man in difficulty in the River Tay sparked a major air and sea search on the evening on December 19.
Coastguard, police and fire and rescue personnel were all involved, scouring a stretch of water between Perth and Newburgh.
A Coastguard helicopter spent much of the night and all of the following day hovering over the city centre and the surrounding area without a breakthrough.
Witnesses had reported hearing a man’s cries and then seeing a body being swept beneath the Queen’s Bridge before being lost to view.
Within hours of the search being launched, Police Scotland had also issued a missing person appeal for Mr Guthrie.
It did not take long before the two investigations were being linked and as the second day of searching came to a close, his mum Louise admitted she feared the man seen in River Tay was her son.
Speaking in the aftermath of the most intense search activity, she said she was holding out hope, however faint, that there could still be good news.
The helicopter returned to Perth early on the morning of Wednesday December 20, again circling the river.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman confirmed that operation was part of the ongoing missing persons inquiry, but said it was not as a result of any new information about Mr Guthrie’s disappearance.
Since then there has been no obvious search activity and few updates from the force, though it is understood inquiries have continued.
Mr Guthrie is described as being about five foot nine inches in height and of slim build, with short black hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen on Perth’s Dundee Road at about 8.50pm on December 19, when he was wearing a dark green fleece top, dark blue jeans and dark walking shoes.
Anyone who knows him, or who may have seen a man matching his description in the city centre or near the River Tay on that night is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101.
