POLICE have made a fresh appeal to hillwalkers and campers to be vigilant for signs of the "lonely grave" in the remote glens where it is believed the body of a murdered bookkeeper lies.
David Gilroy was convicted on Thursday of murdering Suzanne Pilley, 38, on May 4, 2010, despite the fact her remains have never been recovered.
Gilroy, 49, was found guilty of killing the Edinburgh book-keeper and hiding her body in the boot of his Vauxhall car before driving to Argyll where police believe he then disposed of the body.
A journey that should have taken only 40 minutes took Gilroy two hours and it is thought this is when he disposed of his victim's body.
The missing time came between Tyndrum and Inveraray, a stretch of just more than 25 miles, and which is surrounded by vast tracts of woodland and difficult terrain, runing alongside the banks of Loch Fyne.
More than 200 members of four mountain rescue teams have already searched more than 100,000 acres of terrain centred around the Glen Croe and Rest and Be Thankful area and surrounding wilderness.
Detective Superintendent Gary Flannigan, of Lothian and Borders Police – who headed the murder inquiry – said officers are prepared to mobilise again should any shred of evidence emerge to the whereabouts of Ms Pilley's remains.
It is thought the weather could have changed the landscape to reveal new signs of her grave.
Mr Flannigan has said he will do everything in his power to help find the body and ease the anguish to some extent of her family – her father Rob, mother Sylvia and sister Gail.
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police told The Herald yesterday: "We would appeal once again to absolutely anyone who might have any such information to come forward."
Gilroy was convicted on several strands of evidence.
One was that he had "pestered" Ms Pilley with 400 texts in the space of a month and then, when she disappeared, he made no further attempt to contact her at a time when family and friends were repeatedly trying to contact her on her mobile.
He had cuts on his hands and the injuries were consistent with a struggle. He also made a bizarre attempt to cover the cuts with make-up.
A specially trained cadaver dog showed interest in Gilroy's car as well as the place where he and Ms Pilley worked, where he is believed to have hidden the body temporarily.
It was also argued that, because Ms Pilley had left important belongings, such as her asthma inhaler, at home that she fully intended to return.
The news came as the former husband of Ms Pilley spoke to a local newspaper about his grief and said he believed Gilroy would become "another Luke Mitchell", by refusing to admit any guilt and prolonging the situation by repeated legal appeals.
Peter Durrand, who was with Ms Pilley for seven years and married to her for two, said: "If Gilroy was to die in prison as an old man then I would be more than happy.
"A lot of people have asked me whether they think he will say where Suzanne is buried, but I don't think he will.
"That would be the decent thing to do, but he's not a decent man. I don't think he'll give Suzanne's parents that.
"I could see him being another Luke Mitchell who never admits his guilt and just files endless appeals to try and get out."
Gilroy's 42-year-old wife Andrea supported him during the trial and in a statement issued after the verdict his family said they continued to believe in his innocence.
Neighbours of the Gilroys in Silverknowes, Edinburgh, yesterday said it was "heartbreakingly sad" the killer had not revealed where the body was hidden, and one added: "It's two families he has ruined."
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