Clydebank body confirmed as missing teen Paige Doherty
A body found in Clydebank has been confirmed as that of a missing teenage girl.
A body found in Clydebank has been confirmed as that of a missing teenage girl and police are treating her death as murder.
Friends and family of 15-year-old Paige Doherty, from the West Dunbartonshire town, launched an appeal after she failed to arrive at her part-time job on Saturday morning.
The body of a female was discovered in a wooded area behind a path off Great Western Road at around 12.45pm on Monday.
Detectives confirmed the body was that of the teenager and said a murder investigation was under way.
She was last seen at around 8.15am when she left a friend's house and it is thought she was making her way to a bus stop to travel to the hairdressers where she worked in Kirkintilloch, around 12 miles away.
But the alarm was raised later when she did not show up.
Missing posters were put up around the town and a dedicated Facebook page was set up to help find her.
Police said they were trying to piece together her movements between Saturday morning and the discovery of the body.
Detective Superintendent Duncan Sloan, the Senior Investigating Officer of the investigation said the following:
“The body recovered near to Great Western Road, Clydebank can be confirmed as 15 year old Paige Doherty who was reported missing by her mother around 2100 hours on Saturday 19 March 2016. The investigation into her death is now being treated as murder and is being led by the Major Investigation Teams.
“Our thoughts are with Paige’s family and friends at this most distressing time and I personally offer my condolences for their tragic loss. Paige was a young, friendly girl with plenty of friends and for her life to be taken away so brutally at such a young age is unfathomable to everyone.
“My priority is to find out what happened to Paige and to find who is responsible.
“This type of crime is very rare, particularly in this community. I’d also like to take this opportunity to reassure the public that additional high-visibility officers will be patrolling the local community and anyone with any concerns are encouraged to approach them.
“We are at the very early stages of this investigation however I am appealing to anyone who may have any information whatsoever about her movements from when she was last seen in the early hours of Saturday morning, to when her body was recovered at lunchtime on Monday. It’s crucial that I piece together where Paige went after the sighting at the roll shop in Fleming Street and her movements over the course of the weekend and I can only do that by appealing for information from the public.
“From speaking with family and friends, it is apparent that Paige was a well-liked, popular girl with many friends, who was keen to finish school and go on to work. She independently secured a work placement at a hairdressing shop in Kirkintilloch and would travel by bus into Glasgow city centre and then travel on another bus from Buchanan Bus Station out to Kirkintilloch. Someone may have seen her in this area at the time.
“I am also particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area where she was found off Great Western Road on Monday lunchtime. This is a particularly busy route with lots of cars and buses passing, walkers and joggers on the pavement. Perhaps someone saw a vehicle in the area or people acting out of character or acting unusually that could help us in the investigation.
“Any information, however small, may help this investigation. I would urge anyone with information to contact the police as soon as possible. It is imperative that we find who is responsible for Paige’s murder.”
Laura Mason, Chief Education Officer at West Dunbartonshire Council, said: “Paige was a bright and popular pupil with a good sense of humour. Our thoughts are with Paige’s family and friends, and we are doing everything we can to support our young people at this sad time.”
People can phone the dedicated incident room at Helen Street Police Office on 0141 532 5433 or 0141 532 5415. Alternatively, please email any information you have to OperationTalverton@scotland.pnn.police.uk. Crimestoppers can also be contacted on 0800 555 111 where information can be passed in confidence.