Mother's year-long anguish over missing son

Rodrigo Falcon and his mother Daniela

A mother has told of her heartbreak over the disappearance of her son after a night out in a Highland village a year ago.

Bar worker Rodrigo Falcon, who was originally from Argentina, was last seen near Aviemore in the early hours of 11 December 2022.

The driver of a road gritter spotted the 34-year-old walking near the A9 between 04:00 and 05:00. Mr Falcon has not been seen since.

His mother Daniela Falcon said: "I wish with all my heart that no-one else has to go through such a situation."

After leaving a nightclub in Aviemore where he had been with friends, Mr Falcon was seen on CCTV walking down Grampian Road towards the southern end of the village.

He was wearing a red jumper and baggy jeans. Temperatures were below freezing at the time.

Following his disappearance there have been extensive efforts to find him.

His friends were joined by volunteers in making searches of Aviemore and the surrounding area.

Police divers searched a section of the River Spey and local lochs.

More recently, private investigators have examined the case.

Mr Falcon has lived in the Highlands since 2016

Mr Falcon's mother thanked the community of Aviemore for its help in trying to trace her son.

She said: "We want Rod to come home.

"Any information - no matter how small - is huge for us."

She said her son's passions were photography and travel.

"He fell in love with the Highlands. He has lived there since 2016," she said.

Mr Falcon's mother said he is a keen photographer

Mr Falcon's boss and flatmate, Scott Fleming, said the disappearance had hit the local community hard.

He said: "Rod is my best friend.

"It's been really difficult not having answers and not knowing what is going on.

"The hardest thing is not knowing what has happened and where he is."

Mr Falcon's last known movements on 11 December 2022 were:

• 02:30 - Left the Vault nightclub

• 03:12 - Seen on Tamanna Indian Restaurant's CCTV on Grampian Road heading south out of Aviemore

• 03:15 - Spotted on opposite side of Grampain Road on a Premier Inn's CCTV

• 04:00-05:00 - Seen by a gritter driver on the A9 near Aviemore

Mr Falcon's friends said the following day footprints were found in the snow by police officers.

The prints went from the A9 to the old A9 - now the B9152 - at Aviemore’s south junction then disappeared on to the B9152.

Rodrigo Falcon on CCTV on 11 December 2022

Police Scotland has made a new appeal for information.

Insp Craig Johnstone said: “We know from the response by the community in the village and surrounding area how much concern they have for him and I know that Rodrigo has never been far from the thoughts of many over the past 12 months.

“Officers carried out extensive searches to locate Rodrigo, including door-to-door inquiries, liaising with other agencies and reviewing CCTV footage."

He added: “We continue to ask people with any possible sightings or new information as to Rodrigo’s whereabouts to get in touch with us.

Mr Falcon is described as being 5ft 6in (168cm) tall, of slim build, with dark hair and a moustache and beard.