Body found in search for missing teen who vanished four weeks ago
Police said the body was found in a wooded area near Kilsyth Road in Banknock, Falkirk
The body of a man has been discovered in the search for teenager Cole Cooper who vanished more than four weeks ago.
Police said the body was found in a wooded area near Kilsyth Road in Banknock, Falkirk, at around 4.15pm on Friday.
Formal identification has not yet taken place but the family of Mr Cooper, 19, has been informed.
Enquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances, Police Scotland said.
Mr Cooper was last seen by family on either May 2 or 3 and he appeared on CCTV around 6am on May 4 in Longcroft, where he tried but failed to access his father’s home.
He was last seen at about 8.45pm on May 7 on the A803 near Cumbernauld Road in Longcroft, when he asked a school friend for a lift, which he was not given.
His family reported him missing on May 9, sparking a major investigation involving helicopters, divers, digital specialists and hundreds of officers.
More than 400 people were spoken to during door-to-door inquiries, while over 2,000 hours of CCTV were reviewed.
Police previously treated the case as a missing person investigation rather than a criminal inquiry.
Earlier this week, officers said they would revisit the locations where Mr Cooper was last seen in a fresh attempt to trace potential witnesses.
A major incident portal has been set up for the public to share footage, images and possible lines of inquiry, and detectives said it has received “numerous” submissions.
Detectives previously said the investigation was being treated as a missing person’s inquiry rather than a criminal probe.
A major search has involved helicopters, divers, digital and financial investigators.
On May 28, detectives said the examination of more than 1,000 hours of CCTV had taken place along with door-to-door inquiries at more than 220 homes.
Around a week later, the hours of CCTV examined had increased to more than 2,000.
Chief Inspector Alex Hatrick, local area commander, had previously thanked the public for supporting the investigation and urged anyone with information to come forward.