The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Police: Body found in search for missing tourist.
CRAIL: Husband of missing Claudia Philips was today expected to identify the body found near their holiday home
A body discovered on the Fife coastline yesterday is expected to be identified as missing German tourist Claudia Philips.
Police contacted the family of the 51-year-old following the discovery on the shore near the home in Crail where they were holidaying.
It comes after Mrs Philips was reported missing on Tuesday, having last been spotted on the Fife Coastal Path walking towards Anstruther.
Her husband Donald, who is also 51 and originally from St Andrews, said last night that he had been asked to carry out a formal identification of the body today, ahead of what would have been the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary next week.
Having been on holiday with their 11-year-old daughter Claire from their family home in Darmstadt in Germany, he said that the family had been crushed by yesterday’s discovery.
Speaking at their rental home in Crail, he said: “Tomorrow I will be going to the mortuary and identifying the body. “It is a tragedy. “She was a great mother and a great wife.”
Mrs Philips had not been seen since she left a house in Crail’s Nethergate at around 1pm on Tuesday.
Officers had concentrated their search efforts on the Fife Coastal Path around Crail and along to Anstruther.
The body was recovered at around 12.25pm yesterday, with police confirming that the tragedy is being treated as unexplained and that an investigation was under way.
Chief Inspector Adrian Annandale said: “I would firstly like to thank all members of the public who aided our search activities over the past couple of days.
“Special recognition must also go to our various partner agencies, including the Coastguard, for their assistance, as well as the national police resources that supported local officers with their inquiries.
“While no formal identification as taken place, we have liaised with Claudia’s loved ones and will continue to provide them with all the necessary support they require at this time.”