Police say the discovery of man’s body at an Angus beauty spot is being treated as suspicious.
A member of the public made the find at Loch of Kinnordy Nature Reserve, near Kirriemuir, on Thursday morning at about 5am.
A major exclusion zone was immediately set up, along with a no-fly zone.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent James Smith of the Major Investigation Team, said: “We are treating the death of the man as suspicious and investigations are being carried out to establish the full circumstances surrounding his death.
‘Enquiries are under way to establish the identity of the man and trace his next of kin.
“A member of the public alerted police that the body of a man had been found in the car park of Kinnordy Nature Reserve in the early of hours of Thursday morning.
“I would appeal to anyone who was in this area between Tuesday June 5 and Thursday June 7 and saw anything suspicious to come forward.
“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who was driving in the area between these dates, and has a dashcam. You may have captured footage which may be useful to our enquiries and we would like to hear from you.
“Officers have been stationed on the B951 Kirriemuir to Kirkton of Kingoldrum road, this evening speaking to motorists and members of the public to establish if they have witnessed anything suspicious on the road or surrounding areas either yesterday or the early hours of this morning.
“A review of CCTV is under way, along with house-to-house enquiries.
“There will continue to be a police presence in the area whilst our enquiries are being carried out.”
‘Extremely saddened’
Kirriemuir and Dean Conservative councillor Ronnie Proctor said: “I am extremely saddened at this news.
“I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the nearest and dearest of the person concerned.
“Obviously, it is not appropriate to speculate on the potential circumstances surrounding this tragedy, but I am sure the authorities will deal with the situation sympathetically and appropriately.”
RSPB Scotland has also been assisting the police investigation although it’s not known how long the site will remain closed.
An RSPB Scotland spokesperson said: “We can confirm that there was a police incident involving the discovery of a man’s body at our Loch of Kinnordy nature reserve this morning.
“The area including the reserve and all access routes are currently closed as part of the police investigation.
“We are doing everything we can to assist them and will be making no further comments at this time.”
