Suzanne Pilley murder: 'We cannot say a proper goodbye'

Suzanne Pilley vanished without trace on 4 May, 2010

The family of Suzanne Pilley are urging anyone who knows where her body is to break their silence.

The bookkeeper is believed to have been buried in a remote part of Argyll after she was killed 10 years ago by her ex-lover, David Gilroy.

He was jailed for a minimum of 18 years but has never admitted his crime.

On the anniversary of the murder police said it was "deeply regretful" that Ms Pilley, 38, of Edinburgh, vanished without trace.

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Sister Gail Fairgrieve said: "For the past decade we have lived in a state of limbo, waiting for the news that Suzanne's body had been found, but we've never been able to get that closure.

"We accept that Suzanne was murdered and believe that the person responsible is in prison, but we feel we cannot say a proper goodbye until her body is found.

"Both my mother and I want to again thank the public who have continued to contact the police, which has always given us hope that Suzanne has not been forgotten."

Suzanne's mother Sylvia and sister Gail spoke to BBC Scotland in 2018 and said it was hard not knowing where she was buried

Ms Fairgrieve encouraged anyone with information to come forward.

She added: "We understand that only one person can tell us where Suzanne is but has refused to do so."

She said police would respond to any information in a bid to locate her final resting place.

"Their investigation can only conclude when Suzanne is found and so I would plead with anyone who knows something but hasn't come forward to search their conscience and get in touch," she said.

"Not for our sake, but for Suzanne's. Please let us give her the burial and send-off she deserves."

On 4 May, 2010, Suzanne left her home in Whitson Road, Edinburgh, for the last time.

She was later reported missing when she failed to arrive at her work in Thistle Street.

David Gilroy was jailed for a minimum of 18 years in 2012.

That night Gilroy, now 57, arranged an appointment in Lochgilphead, Argyll, and drove there the following day.

Detectives used CCTV to map his movements and established that, en route and on his way back to Edinburgh, the killer turned off his phone between Stirling and Inveraray.

Damage to the underside of his car and vegetation attached to the vehicle also indicated he had travelled off-road.

The investigation focused on the Rest and Be Thankful and Argyll Forest, where it is suspected her remains were buried, but extensive searches over the last decade have failed to provide a breakthrough.

Det Ch Supt Stuart Houston urged anyone who has never spoken to officers about the case to come forward.

He said: "I am entirely confident that justice was served in terms of Suzanne's murder. However, it is deeply regretful that, as of now, we have been unable to recover her body and bring a sense of closure to her family.

"Sadly, Suzanne's father Rob passed away in February 2019 without ever knowing what happened to his daughter.

"We remain committed to finding these answers for Suzanne's mother, Sylvia and sister, Gail."