The timeline of events surrounding the murder of Brian Low near Aberfeldy has been the subject of much scrutiny.
Mr Low, 65, was shot dead as he walked his dog Millie in the Pitilie area close to the Perthshire town.
A murder investigation was launched by police, but only after his death was initially treated as non-suspicious.
We take a chronological look at what has happened in the case so far.
February 17: Brian Low dies
Mr Low was walking on a remote dirt track close to his home in the Pitilie area with black Labrador Millie when was found dead at around 8.30am.
It has not been confirmed who raised the alarm, but an ambulance was called to the scene at 8.34am.
At this stage, police treated his death as medical-related due to the way his body “presented” at the scene.
February 21: Medical examination of body
A medical examination took place on Mr Low’s body, with the death still being treated as non-suspicious at that stage.
It has not been confirmed who oversaw this examination or why it only happened four days after the death.
This examination established that Mr Low had injuries “consistent with being fatally shot”, escalating the case to a potential suspicious death.
February 21: Police set up cordon at scene
Given what was discovered during the medical examination, police established a “scene” at the remote dirt track where he died, while they awaited official confirmation of how Mr Low died.
February 23: Post-mortem confirms shooting
A post-mortem was held to establish a cause of death.
This involved two pathologists – which is required where criminal prosecution is likely in a case to ensure evidence is corroborated.
A post-mortem normally takes place in a mortuary examination room which is similar to a hospital environment.
The pathologists involved in Mr Low’s post-mortem confirmed on Friday evening that he had been shot by a third party.
A murder investigation was launched “immediately”.
February 24: Family informed
Family liaison police officers informed Mr Low’s next of kin about the murder investigation in the afternoon.
February 26: Public portal set up
Police Scotland set up an online portal – named Operation Newlane – for the public to be able to submit information about the case.
February 27: Police announce murder inquiry
Police issued a statement just after 2pm to announce they had launched a murder inquiry.
This was the first time the wider public or the media had been informed about Mr Low’s death and the fact it was being treated as suspicious.
It emerged later that day Mr Low had worked as a groundsman on Edradynate Estate, which is a few miles outside Aberfeldy, for more than 20 years.
February 28: Police release more details on sequence of events
Police Scotland released more details about the sequence of events that led to Mr Low’s murder being announced.
More tributes were paid to Mr Low as locals came to terms with the shock around Mr Low’s murder.
February 29: Family speak for first time
Mr Low’s family spoke for the first time.
His niece, Jacqui Low, who lives in Fife, told The Courier the family were “at a complete loss” over the shooting, adding that they were “devastated”.
The family also released a photograph of Mr Low to The Courier.
February 29: Police admit evidence may have been lost
A media conference was held in Perth at 11am, where DCI Martin MacDougall and CI Greg Burns answered questions about the murder for the first time.
The officers admitted that the time between the death and gunshot injuries being discovered may have led to evidence being lost from the scene.
They also confirmed they did not believe it could have been an accident, and that there was no information to suggest Mr Low was involved in any criminality or feuds.
They added they were keeping an “open mind” about a motive.
March 1: Police watchdog confirms probe
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) confirmed it would investigate the police handling of the Aberfeldy shooting.
A spokesperson said: “On March 1, PIRC was directed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a 65 year-old man discovered near Aberfeldy on February 17 2024.
“Once the investigation is concluded, a report on our findings will be submitted to the COPFS.”
March 7: Police go door to door in hunt for clues
Officers were going door to door in Aberfeldy as the hunt for clues continued.
DCI Martin Macdougall said: “We currently have Major Investigation Team officers in Aberfeldy going round door to door speaking with local residents.
“It will obviously take us some time to get round everyone so in the meantime, if people can come to us, that would be much quicker.
“The public can contact us any way they choose.”
March 12: Police speak to dozens of people
Police confirmed they had spoken to 145 people as the murder probe continued.
In a fresh appeal, the force said: “We are fully committed to tracing whoever is responsible as soon as possible.”
March 22: Evidence ‘expected to be at murder scene’ recovered
Police told local councillors that evidence they expected to be at the murder scene had been recovered, despite the delays to the investigation.
The type of evidence found by officers was not confirmed.
March 28: Cause of death confirmed
The Courier revealed how Mr Low’s cause of death was a shotgun wound to the neck and chest, according to his death certificate.
It also emerged that he had died just three days before his 66th birthday.
April 23: Police admit they have no suspect as scale of probe revealed
Police admitted they do not have a suspect in the murder case as they revealed the scale of the investigation so far.
Detective Superintendent Lorna Ferguson said: “I am aware of the rumours that are circulating (about who shot Mr Low).
“Our officers are hearing those same rumours but I have to keep an open mind.
“There is no suspect.
“No one has been interviewed under caution.”
It was confirmed officers had been to 478 houses since the grandfather’s death, with 741 questionnaires completed by locals.
Officers had also reviewed more than 2,400 hours of CCTV footage from 56 cameras.
More than 30 officers were still dedicated to the investigation.
May 13: Chief constable admits early stages of probe ‘not what we wanted’
Speaking about the investigation publicly for the first time, Chief Constable Jo Farrell told STV News: “(The handling of the investigation) is subject of an external inquiry, as the public would expect, as the family would expect.
“Quite clearly, that response is not what we wanted but it is subject to an inquiry, so we have to let that work its way through.”
