Body found in Banchory confirmed as missing Aberdeen teenager Liam Smith

A body found in woodland in the Banchory area on Friday has been confirmed as that of Liam Smith.

The 16-year-old was reported missing from his home in Aberdeen on Sunday November 18, 2018.

Police Scotland say formal identification has taken place and Liam's family have been made aware.

On behalf of Liam's family, his mother Alix said: "While we never gave up hope of finding Liam, we were realistic about the challenges facing us.

"Our hearts are broken.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in the search for Liam including members of the public who took it upon themselves to help.

"Thank you also to everyone who has left messages of support which have provided us with comfort at extremely difficult times.

"At this most difficult time of all, we would ask for privacy as we try to come to terms with our enormous loss."

Tributes to Liam have been laid at Westhill Academy, where he was a pupil.

Headteacher Alison Reid said: “The Westhill Academy community is very close-knit. The confirmation of the death of Liam Smith has hit the school hard, and pupils and staff are coming to terms with what they have heard.

"Liam was a well-known and widely liked pupil and we will all miss him deeply.

“I am incredibly proud of every person connected with our school and can assure the wider community that we will do our utmost to support them in any way we can.

"This time of year, is a busy one for all of our pupils, with S4-6 particularly working towards SQA qualifications.

"We are working with our chaplaincy service, our educational psychology team and our own internal support networks to help pupils process this sad news. Our thoughts are with all of Liam’s friends and family.”

Laurence Findlay, Director of Education and Children’s Services at Aberdeenshire Council, said: “The pupils and staff at Westhill have shown immense courage, but we recognise that it will take time to process and come to terms with this news.

“We will continue to provide every possible assistance to teachers and staff through our Employee Assistance programme as well as through their line management.

"We recognise that many of our colleagues would benefit from having someone to talk to in these circumstances.

"The service will also work with the school’s senior leadership team to ensure everyone receives the support they need.”