Family tell of ‘unbearable’ pain in hunt for Suzanne
● Family still hope to find murdered daughter’s body
The family of murdered Suzanne Pilley have appealed for help to end the torment of not knowing where her body is almost eight years on from her death.
Ms Pilley, 38, disappeared on 4 May 2010 after setting off on her usual journey to work in Thistle Street in Edinburgh city centre.
Her sister Gail said: “Every time she’s mentioned, you struggle with the fact she’s not been found.”
The family of murder victim Suzanne Pilley have made an emotional appeal for help in finding the final resting place of their daughter.
The 38-year-old book-keeper’s sister, Gail, has spoken for the first time about the family’s “unbearable” trauma since Ms Pilley went missing on her way to work in Thistle Street, Edinburgh, on 4 May, 2010.
David Gilroy, 55, was found guilty of murdering Ms Pilley, his colleague and former lover, whose body has never been found. Police believe he may have dumped her remains near the Rest and Be Thankful road near Arrochar in Argyll.
Her sister said: “Every time she’s mentioned, you struggle with the fact she’s not been found.
“It’s hard to think about her because we just don’t know where she is and that’s the first thought that comes into your head when she’s mentioned is just, where are you? So it’s just extremely difficult to not know where she is and to not have laid her to rest.
“She wasn’t treated with any dignity in her death, she was discarded and we just do not know where she is. And that is just sometimes unbearable but we have to move forward and I would love to be able to just give her that funeral, that dignity that every person deserves but unfortunately we can’t do that.”
Gilroy was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 but has continued to protest his innocence.
Ms Pilley, who had previously had an affair with married Gilroy, had set off on her usual journey to work at Infrastructure Managers Ltd but never arrived.
Detectives believe Gilroy killed Ms Pilley in the basement of their Edinburgh office before dumping her body in forest land in Argyll.
There are gaps of several hours in his journey on both legs between Lochgilphead and Inveraray, during which officers believe he spent time hiding her body.
Yesterday, just days after what would have been Ms Pilley’s 46th birthday, police appealed to the public for information which may lead to the discovery of her body.
Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston, who continues to lead the inquiry, said officers are following up all information received with calls still being made by the public in relation to the case.
Det Supt Houston said: “It has been nearly eight years since Suzanne Pilley was murdered and during that time her family have held on, hoping for information that could lead to the recovery of her body.
“The gaps in Gilroy’s journey, and the foliage and debris on his car, tell us that he went off road somewhere near to the Rest and Be Thankful, so anyone who was in that area on 5 May, 2010 and could have seen or heard something that might be the missing link in our investigation.”