DOG WALKER'S KILLER STILL AT LARGE TWO MONTHS ON
The murderer of a dog walker shot dead on a remote path in Perthshire has still not been caught two months after the killing.
The body of retired groundsman Brian Low, 65, was found in Aberfeldy at about 09:00 on 17 February.
His death was initially thought to be "medical-related" but an examination later found he had actually been shot.
His death certificate, seen by BBC Scotland News, confirmed he died of a shotgun wound to the neck and chest.
Mr Low's black Labrador was found unharmed near the path in the Pitillie area of the town where his body was discovered by a member of the public.
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Who was Brian Low?
Brian Low worked at the nearby Edradynate Estate for more than 20 years until his retirement in February last year.
He lived in Aberfeldy with his partner and was killed three days before his 66th birthday.
A spokesman for Edradynate Estate said at the time that the news of Mr Low's death was "extremely sad", but declined to comment further.
"We send our deepest condolences to Brian's family,"
A neighbour - a fellow dog walker who also did not want to be named - described Mr Low as the "loveliest guy".
A former colleague of Mr Low, who asked not to be named, described him as being "one of the most honest men you could meet".
He told BBC Scotland News: "I worked with Brian for around seven years. Simply put, he was a very nice guy. A good man.
"He helped me a lot. He was one of the most honest men you could meet. I have only good words for him. I was shocked to hear the news."
What has the police investigation been looking at?
Police have interviewed hundreds of residents in Aberfeldy, with plain clothes officers understood to have been operating in the Perthshire town.
The investigation has been named Operation Newlane by Police Scotland. Officers have previously said they were following a number of lines of inquiry and were keeping an open mind on the motive for Mr Low's killing.
This included the possibility of him being targeted, but the death was not being considered as accidental.
Local public speculation has focused on a named individual, but police have made no comment on this.
They have also refused to comment on specific inquiries, including whether the murder weapon has been recovered.
There has been widespread criticism of the delay between the discovery of Mr Low's body and the launch of the murder probe.
Local MSP John Swinney previously told BBC Radio Scotland News that he had concerns why there was "a gap of some considerable distance and time" between the discovery of Mr Low's body and the realisation he had been shot.
Why was there a delay in treating Brian Low's death as murder?
After a medical examination established Mr Low had injuries consistent with being fatally shot, Policer Scotland's Major Investigation Team were contacted, and a two-doctor post mortem was ordered.
This took place on 23 February, six days after his body was found, and confirmed his cause of death - at which point a murder inquiry was launched.
Mr Low's next of kin were informed of the murder investigation the following afternoon.
The scene was secured by officers and police said they had taken "every opportunity" to recover evidence from the site.
When asked why officers had not realised Mr Low had been shot, local area commander Greg Burns told a police press conference: "From the officers' initial assessment, it presented as a non-suspicious, medically-related death at that point in time.
"I think that probably gives you an indication how the body presented at that time."
A police portal for the public to submit information was set up on 26 February and the investigation was made public on 27 February.
Police Scotland said inquiries were ongoing.
2024-04-16T21:50:31Z dg43tfdfdgfd