SEVENTY deaf people from across Scotland launched an expanded hunt around Glasgow for missing mother-of-four Kirsty Aitchison and may have found the last couple to see her.
Organisers of the search have made an emotional appeal for help in finding the missing mother, who is deaf, after she went missing after a weekend night out at at a Scotland Deaf Booze Crew event at the Campus bar in Sauchiehall Street.
Small groups have searched Robroyston Park as well as a field near the Robroyston Retail Park in the north east of the Glasgow, and parts of Springburn, not far from her home at the Brookfield Estate.
But they have also been looking at parks in the south side of Glasgow - in areas organisers believe may not have been looked at, and on Tuesday looked around, the Pollok Country Park and Festival Park areas.
One group of searchers at Festival Park found a couple who saw someone who looked like Ms Aitchison on Monday night near Govan Road and have passed the information onto the police.
Read more: CCTV shows missing Kirsty Aitchison 'walking barefoot' on Glasgow's Broomielaw
"Fingers crossed it is Kirsty," said Richard MacQueen whose group showed the couple the picture of Ms Aitchison which was taken on Saturday evening and has been widely circulated. "They said it looked like the same person with clothes and face they saw. They said they saw this person last night. We asked them to show us where they saw the person. It was not in Festival Park, it was near Govan Road and (they) showed us where exactly."
Later they found out that officers, who have been studying CCTV footage, say Ms Aitchison did not get into a taxi as previously thought. And images show she was last seen at the Broomielaw, by the River Clyde, at 03:16 on Sunday.
This was just a mile away from where the couple believe they saw Ms Aitchison.
Gary Ewing, one of the group organisers of the search said: "We are looking at areas where she may have gone from the town if she was walking. "Everyone was in the Robroyston and Springburn areas so we thought why not have a wee group down in the parks in the south side of Glasgow just to see if we can find anything.
"Being deaf and not being able to communicate with the hearing world, she can't shout for help. "So we are just looking for clues, anything from a bag, shoes, anything, and hopefully find her in a safe way.
"We decided to do this off our own back, the police are now searching the Clyde river and the town centre and looking at CCTV, to gather as much information as they can."
Read more: Missing mum Kirsty Aitchison - River Clyde rescue hero carries out searches
Ms Aitchison left the bar at about 3am on Sunday.
CCTV footage showed her make her way down from Sauchiehall Street to Argyle Street and on to James Watt Street before walking down to the Broomielaw, where she was last viewed on CCTV.
The footage confirmed she was wearing the same clothing as in the photograph released to the media, which was taken on Saturday evening.
Mr Ewing said: "It has been quite a long time for a mother-of-four to not be in contact.
"We don't know what to think at the moment. Nobody wants to think the worst.
"The fact is she could be anywhere. There are so many different stories from her being in a taxi then not being a taxi, and we didn't know where she was going.
"We thought we would just look at all the areas of Glasgow that we can and cross them off. "
Police have taken the unusual step of issuing an appeal for help in tracing Ms Aitchison using sign language.
Catriona Lafferty, a friend of Ms Aitchison who took part in the search said: "We want Kirsty to come home, safe and well. She has four children and they need her. They're missing their mummy. It is really important for her to come home safe and well."
Another friend Rachael Griffiths added: "She is the kind of person who would go straight home from a party. She would never go out and would never wander around like that.
"She would always inform someone of where she was going, it is not her character at all (to do otherwise)."
Ms Aitchison was described as white, a Deaf/British Sign Language user, about 5ft tall, slim build and long dark-coloured hair.
She was wearing a black top, cream skirt and in the CCTV images she is seen holding her high-heeled black sandals and walking barefoot.
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