Friends rally round missing teenager’s family
Police say body in Kirkcaldy has yet to be formally identified
Friends of the family of Libbi Toledo yesterday sent them “love and prayers” after police discovered a body in the search for the missing teenager.
The 17-year-old’s father, Joe, shared a poignant quote on social media which stated: “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.”
It comes after Police Scotland found the body of a female inside a disused scrapyard at the junction of Kirkcaldy’s Denburn Road and Smeaton Road at about 2:20pm on Thursday.
The body, which has still not been formally identified, was found less than a mile away from Veronica Crescent in the Smeaton area of the Fife town, where Libbi was last seen at around 1pm on 11 September.
The discovery prompted the last-minute cancellation of a scheduled press conference featuring Libbi’s mother, Judith.
Police Scotland said the death of the woman was being treated as unexplained pending further inquiries. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
Mr Toledo, who lives in Okanogan County in the US state of Washington, shared the quote, taken from F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, on his Facebook page.
He and Judith, from Brechin, have been appealing for information as to their daughter’s whereabouts.
On Thursday, Mr Toledo wrote of how he was “pleading” with Libbi to call her mother, adding: “We really need you to come home. I love you.”
The previous day, he wrote on social media: “Libbi, please come home or call home or walk into a police station, your mother and I are very worried about you.
“You are not in any trouble, we just want to know that you are ok and safe. We love you very much and just want you back home.”
Friends of Mr Toledo yesterday rallied around him, sending messages of support on social media.
Leslie Finley wrote: “We are all surrounding you with our love and prayers, Joe. We love you!”
Tammy Franco said she was “so very sorry,” adding: “Sending you and your family big hugs and will keep you in my prayers.”
Libbi, from Brechin, had been in assisted living accommodation for the past year, according to her mother.
Speaking out earlier in the week in an appeal for information as to her whereabouts, she added that her daughter, who is autistic, was a “very high-risk individual” with ADHD, and who suffers from mental health issues.
mmclaughlin@scotsman.com