(Updated below) David Gilroy, the 47 year-old married former boyfriend of Edinburgh woman Suzanne Pilley, who disappeared from her workplace on 4th May 2010, is tonight in police detention although we understand that he has not been charged. He had previously had a 7 hour voluntary interview with police on 21st May.
Lothian and Borders Police have presumed Suzanne Pilley murdered for some time and searches for her body, including the use of police dogs, have been taking place in Argyll Forest and in Glen Orchy.
The police had asked for help from the public in reporting sightings of a silver family car in the Rest and Be Thankful area on 5th May; and in scanning photographs they may have taken while visiting or working in the area that day – to see if this car was in the background of any of the shots.
This car is now known to belong to Mr Gilroy, to have been impounded by the police, to have been previously deep cleaned and nevertheless to have yielded from its boot what the police have described as ‘workable’ DNA from Ms Pilley.
Mr Gilroy is also known to have been in and around Argyll on the day in question and to have called in unannounced at Lochgilphead High school. His employers, Infrastructural Managers Ltd, have a maintenance contract at this joint campus and, for that reason, Mr Gilroy is a familiar figure there. He evidently took away from the school some black bin bags which he acquired from cleaners.
Update 19.30 23rd June: The man in police detention, whom we understand to be David Gilroy, has now been charged in connection with the suspected murder of Suzanne Pilley. He is expected to appear on Thursday afternoon, 24th June, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. At this point the specific charges he faces will be known.
