Disappearance case may have ‘sinister’ motive

Last independent sighting of missing woman was back in 1999

The disappearance of a vulnerable woman last seen in public more than 17 years ago may be down to something “more sinister” than originally thought, police have said.

Margaret Fleming, 36, pictured, was reported missing by her two carers in October last year from her home in Main Road, Inverkip, Inverclyde – but the last independent sighting of her was actually at a family event on December 17, 1999.

Forensic teams have been sifting through the house Ms Fleming lived in for any documentation of her life over the past 17 years and a large garden at the property has been excavated.

Officers are still treating the case as a missing person inquiry but are not ruling out the possibility of “something more sinister”.

Ms Fleming, who is believed to have learning difficulties, is thought to have lived with her father in Port Glasgow before he died in October 1995.

She then lived with her grandparents and her mother but later moved in with carers in 1997 and has been estranged from her mother since.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Livingstone said: “A team of dedicated officers have been sifting through thousands of items, paperwork, documents and articles taken from the house.

“We’ve been in contact with around 1,200 individuals and organisations who may have had contact with Margaret in an effort to trace her and more than 200 have still to get back to us, so we have some lines of inquiry still to follow up.

“Over the course of the six months, we’ve taken more than 500 witness statements from people.

“The search we’ve carried out in the house and the grounds extended over 500 metres of the house, into nearby water and woodland.

“While we are keeping an open mind – her carers state Margaret has a private side to her life, possibly having friends they are not aware of – we cannot rule out the possibility that she has come to harm in some way.

“By this, I mean that she could have had an accident, possibly wanted to be missing or even something more sinister.”

Ms Fleming is described as 5ft 5ins with a heavy build, collar-length black hair and brown eyes.

When reported missing on October 28, she was wearing a green tartan fleece, dark trousers, dark Karrimor boots and was carrying a handbag.

Picture: Getty Images. Police forensic officers begin excavating the Inverkip garden of Margaret Fleming, who was reported missing six week ago.