THE remains of a man found at a beauty spot just yards from a network of popular pathways may have lain there for more than five years.
Lothian and Borders Police confirmed yesterday that the remains found by a hillwalker on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh last month belong to Alan Templeton, 25, a barman who lived in the capital and who disappeared in 2006.
Mr Templeton, a film and television studies graduate, went missing about a month after he returned to Scotland after having lived in Paris for two years.
Last month his remains were found by a walker a short way from one of the paths.
It is thought weather conditions may have played a part in the recent exposure of the remains on the hillside.
It was reported at the time of his disappearance that Mr Templeton had been a keen runner.
But it was also claimed he had suffered from bouts of depression over a period of time and that led some family members to believe he suffered from bipolar disorder. He was said to have suffered "terrible mood swings" before he disappeared.
His mother, Elizabeth Templeton, from Pitlochry, Perthshire, had been among the audience when, in 2007, his friends screened one of Mr Templeton's films, Sox in the City, in an effort to raise interest in his case.
The family also took part in a BBC documentary on missing people to draw as much attention as possible to the search for him.
Mr Templeton, whose parents were both said to have had theological backgrounds, had a brother, Calum, who studied at Cambridge University.
The family had earlier lived in Edinburgh and Mr Templeton grew up in Stockbridge and attended the fee-paying George Watson's school.
He had gone to a shop at around 11am on November 26, 2006, but despite the family's hopes being raised by a number of potential sightings in the city, he was never confirmed as having been seen alive again.
Last night Mr Templeton's family paid tribute to him.
Writing on a Facebook page set up to try to find him, his sister Kirsten said: "Alan has sadly been found dead in Edinburgh. His identity has now been confirmed by police. We thank all of you for all the support you have brought us over the past five and a half years."
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