THE murder investigation into the death of an elderly mechanic who was attacked in his own home is becoming the biggest forensic inquiry in the history of Police Scotland.

Brian McKandie was found dead in March this year in his rural cottage in Badenscoth, near Rothienorman in  Aberdeenshire, where he had lived most of his life.

READ MORE: McKandie murder: Victim may have known his killer through work

Four months on, forensic teams are still scouring his home for clues in the hope of finally unmasking the perpetrator of the brutal assault that left the 67-year-old handy man dead.

Detective Chief Inspector Iain Smith, who is leading the investigation, admitted it was the toughest case he had been involved in.

But he remains adamant that someone out there has the necessary information to break it wide open.

DCI Smith said the team was reviewing a number of possibilities as to the identity of the killer, ranging from a disgruntled customer to a would-be robber.

He said: “We need to establish the motive.

“The trigger might be a very minor issue that might have resulted in Mr McKandie’s death.

READ MORE: McKandie murder: Victim may have known his killer through work

“We have got to keep an open mind. There is still nothing obvious in terms of a motive, nothing on background that would suggest he would suffer the death that he did.

“He was an elderly man, vulnerable through his own personal health and age, attacked and murdered in his own home, the one place he should have felt safe. We need to get to the bottom of that.”