Pensioner's Death 'Suspicious'
Malky Ballantyne was found dead at home on Friday
Location Picture by Rory Cassidy
An investigation is underway after a 72-year old was found dead in his Saltcoats home. Malcolm Ballantyne, known as Malky, was discovered by a relative in Glebe Place just after 1 on Friday afternoon. Police are treating the death as suspicious and want to speak to anyone who saw the pensioner in Stevenston or near his Saltcoats home between Thursday and Friday. Leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Gary Cunningham, of the Major Investigation Team, said: "A post-mortem is to take place to establish the exact cause of Mr Ballantyne's death, but we are treating it as suspicious at this time. "Malky was found yesterday by a family member who is obviously distraught at what has happened. "He is a well-known character in the area and has a routine where he visits and socialises in various pubs in Stevenston most days - generally in the morning. "We are keen to find out if anyone saw Malky between 10am on Thursday August 20 and 1pm on Friday August 21. Did you see him in Stevenston earlier on Thursday or Friday? Or did anyone hear or see something out of the ordinary at his home in Saltcoats between those times? "Officers are currently carrying out door-to-door inquiries in Saltcoats and Stevenston and are checking CCTV as well as speaking to family and friends to establish just what happened and why. "There are also extra uniformed patrols in the area.'' Any information can be passed to officers at Saltcoats police office by calling 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.