MURDER investigations are hard enough at the best of times but what happens when it takes six days for cops to discover a victim has been blasted to death by a shotgun?
That’s exactly what happened when tragic Brian Low’s body was found on a quiet dog-walking route on the edge of a sleepy Perthshire town.
AlamyForensic crews scour the scene several days after Brian Low’s death[/caption]
Family HandoutBrian Low died from shotgun wounds on his neck and chest[/caption]
PAThe case still baffles detectives more than two months on[/caption]
The 65-year-old recently-retired groundsman took his last breath close to his home in Aberfeldy while walking his black Labrador on Saturday, February 17.
The alarm was raised at around 8.30am that morning and cops and medics were summoned to the heartbreaking scene.
It’s not clear what they found or how Mr Low’s corpse presented to those first responders but somewhere along the line it was decided he had passed away due to natural causes.
So it was a stunning and shocking turn of events when six days later police announced Mr Low had actually been brutally murdered.
And in one of the most perplexing cases of its kind in recent years they were belatedly on the hunt for a mystery gunman suspected of planning his assassination.
More incredible developments emerged when details on Mr Low’s death certificate revealed he’d died of shotgun wounds on his neck and chest.
Apart from finding the killer, the obvious question is how could trained police officers possibly fail to spot Mr Low had been blasted to death with a shotgun.
The force is now subject to ongoing investigations by the Police Standards Department and the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC).
Meanwhile locals remain anxious at the thought a murderer may be at large in their small, close-knit community where serious crime is almost unheard of.
The Scottish Sun returned to Aberfeldy to speak with locals and take a closer look at a murder mystery that continues to baffle Scotland.
Councillor John Duff said: “I know the police have obviously been working hard since they decided that this was a murder.
“And they have been doing a lot of work in the town, knocking on doors, speaking to as many people as they can to try and establish firstly what the motive is for this killing.
“Obviously through that to try and identify the person responsible.”
He said it was “perplexing” for the community and Mr Low’s family that nobody seems to know why he was killed.
Mr Duff, a native of the town, echoed the police’s call for witnesses to come forward as he admitted there are fears among locals about the possibility a killer may be among them.
He said: “The community’s concern is, is that person among us? Do they stay in this community or have they come into this community and left it?
“And we don’t know the answer to that and that’s of concern to the community.”
We first revealed police had launched a murder probe when they issued an appeal for witnesses through the media on February 27 – ten days after the killing.
They later said at a tense press conference the initial assessment at the scene didn’t reveal anything suspicious.
It was only later after a post mortem that red flags were raised, sparking a rush back to the crime scene which had remained open to the public for days on end.
DCI Martin McDougall admitted to the press pack in attendance at Perth Police Station evidence could have been lost as a result.
And that has prompted a scathing assessment from former murder detective and Peter Bleksley who said: “Not securing the crime scene means the area could have been compromised.
“The simple rule when a body is discovered is to think murder until proven otherwise. The officers didn’t follow this.
“That could prove catastrophic for finding who was responsible.
Police Scotland have since ramped up their efforts to solve the case and issued a second appeal for info in a bid to make up for lost ground.
We returned to the crime scene nearly two months after Mr Low’s death as cops revealed they had searched 500 buildings and watched 2,400 hours of CCTV footage.
Detective Superintendent Lorna Ferguson said 31 officers are working on the investigation – carrying out inquiries at 478 homes and analysing information from around 800 questionnaires.
In a fresh plea for information, she said: “We are committed to tracing the person responsible and have detectives from our Major Investigations Teams across the country assisting local officers.
“We understand the significant impact this has had on the local community and thank everyone for their help so far.
“I am confident that key information in this investigation lies within the local community. Somebody knows something.
“Even if you feel the information you hold is not important, we still ask you to contact us. It could be crucial.”
Police Scotland has also set up a Major Incident Public Portal which can be accessed online.
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