Agony of parents in last-ditch appeal for Liam, 16
The family of a missing Scots schoolboy have admitted they are losing hope of finding him.
Liam Smith’s relatives say they are ‘realistic about the challenges’ of finding him alive three months after he vanished.
The 16-year-old was last seen on November 17 boarding a bus in Aberdeen city centre.
The bus was heading for the town of Banchory in Royal Deeside, but passed through a number of small villages on the way.
however, the CCTV was broken on the bus, meaning police have had difficulty pinpointing exactly where the high school student got off. his family issued a statement
‘Stressful and emotional’
through the police yesterday, which marked three months since he was reported missing.
They believe Liam was not ‘feeling himself ’ at the time he vanished and that their hopes of finding him alive are fading.
The family said: ‘It has been and continues to be an incredibly difficult time for us.
‘We have been overwhelmed by the support from members of the public and the communities of the North east.
‘Understandably it has been a highly stressful and emotional time since Liam left home and as a family we are struggling to come to terms with his disappearance.
‘While we continue to hope that Liam will be found we are being realistic about the challenges around finding him.
‘We believe that Liam wasn’t feeling himself at the time he went missing and we would encourage any teenager who is feeling overwhelmed to speak to someone about their feelings.’
A high profile public appeal for information resulted in more than 200 possible sightings of Liam reported to investigating officers including in other North east towns such as Inverurie, Kemnay and Rothienorman.
however, these sightings have all been eliminated through exhaustive enquiries made by the police.
The teenager failed to take his mobile phone with him and did not indicate to family and friends any plans for the day he left his home in Aberdeen’s west end.
Police initially believed he may have travelled to the bus’s final destination, Banchory, around 20 miles to the west of the city.
however, police were later told by a fellow passenger on the bus that they thought they had seen Liam leaving the bus at a stop near the 530-acre Crathes estate.
Searches have included waterways including the River Dee and surrounding wood and scrubland.
Specialist resources including the Police Scotland helicopter, search dogs and the Dive and Marine Unit were also brought in.
These searches have been supported by Mountain Rescue Teams from Aberdeen and Braemar. Areas of water, woodland, fields and farmland has been searched but there has been no trace of Liam or his belongings.
Chief Inspector Martin Mackay said: ‘At this stage we continue to search but that will be scaled back over the next few days as we conclude the activity at Crathes. The investigation will remain open and any new information will be thoroughly reviewed and assessed.’