Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Emergency services missed fatal bullet wound on murdered Aberfeldy dog walker

Brian Low's body was discovered on Saturday February 17 but was assessed as "non-suspicious and medical related".

Forensics officers at the scene of the murder of Brian Low.
Police and forensics at the scene of Brian Low's murder. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

A post-mortem on the body of a man shot in Aberfeldy was not carried out until six days after he was found.

Brian Low, 65, was shot dead as he walked his dog in the Pitilie area on February 17.

Police announced on Tuesday February 27 a murder inquiry had been launched.

Police and forensics officers at the scene of Brian Low's murder near Aberfeldy.
A cordon is in place around the path. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

A cordon is in place around the path where Mr Low was attacked, along with a forensics tent.

Several questions have been asked about why it took police so long to announce the murder inquiry, prompting them to explain a post-mortem was not carried out until almost a week after the death.

Forensics tent at the scene of Brian Low's murder near Aberfeldy.
A forensics tent has been erected at the scene. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

A police statement said Mr Low’s death “was initially assessed as being non-suspicious and medical-related, but following a medical examination it was established he had injuries consistent with being fatally shot”.

A two-doctor post-mortem was held on Friday and Mr Low’s family were informed on Saturday.

Forensics officers at the scene of Brian Low's murder near Aberfeldy.
Forensics officers searching the path where Brian Low was shot. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Macdougall, of the Major Investigation Team (MIT), said: “Since criminality was established on Friday evening, the MITs have carried out a number of lines of enquiry and we are keeping an open mind as to the motive in this case.

“We are now turning to the public for information. Aberfeldy is a remote area with a close-knit community. Anything unusual would stand out.

“I am asking anyone with information, if you noticed anything out of the ordinary or heard anything of concern, to please contact us. It could be vital to our investigation.”

‘Extremely concerning’

Local Area Commander Greg Burns advised anyone worried to speak to officers in the area.

“I understand this is an extremely concerning incident for a small, rural community but please be assured we are doing all we can to piece together the full circumstances and find whoever is responsible,” he added.

“High visibility patrols remain in the area and there will be an increased police presence as the investigation continues.

“We are working closely with the Major Investigation Team as part of our enquiries.  This includes officers going door-to-door and I would encourage anyone with concerns to speak to them.”

Police and forensics officers at the scene of Brian Low's murder near Aberfeldy.
Forensics officers and police at the scene. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

An online portal has since been set up for people to pass on information regarding the murder.

Pete Wishart, MP for the area, has raised concerns about the timeline of events.

He said: “The sequence of events around the shooting in Aberfeldy are becoming quite bizarre and concerning.

“I will be seeking a clear explanation of events from police and emergency services.”

Perthshire North MSP John Swinney took to X, formerly Twitter, to say that he has written to the Chief Constable of Police Scotland regarding the case.

He said: “I have today written to the Chief Constable of Police Scotland to seek answers on key questions in the handling of this case.

“It is vital that public assurance can be given on these issues.”

Tributes paid to Brian Low

Tributes have been paid to Mr Low, who had been employed by Edradynate Estate as a groundsman for over two decades.

Postman Jedd Burke described him as “one of the nicest guys I ever met”.

Conversation