Police are yet to establish the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman whose body was found on a Perthshire roadside last week.
Detective Superintendent James Smith said the force is “still trying to establish the full set of circumstances” after Annalise Johnstone, of Ardrossan, was discovered dead on the B8062 between Auchterarder and Dunning on Thursday afternoon.
A “bashed up” Ford Galaxy was seized by police from Green Julian Place in Inchture, about 25 minutes’ drive from the scene at the weekend.
The 22-year-old’s death triggered a major police investigation.
Det Sup Smith said the force is keen to find out more about the movements of the Ford Galaxy, registration ST67 HXL, and urged anyone who spotted the vehicle to come forward. She is believed to have travelled to the area in the vehicle.
However he added that the damage to the car was consistent with a “minor collision” which is believed to have taken place “elsewhere”.
Det Sup Smith said the cause of Ms Johnstone’s death is the “question he wants to answer on behalf of the family”, adding: “They’ve got exactly the same question, ‘How did she die?’
“This is a complex set of circumstances which we have here. The scene itself is complex. Annalise clearly has injuries.
“I obviously can’t give you any detail around that but it’s taken a lot of interpretation, a lot of use of experts in seeking expert opinion to inform me and investigation as to what has actually happened here.
“So it’s not clear and for the family and the investigation we need to establish exactly that question.”
Ms Johnstone, 22, left her home in Ayrshire on Wednesday, May 9 and subsequently travelled around Tayside. She was last seen in Ruthven Court, Auchterarder at about 10pm on the same day.
Officers are also looking to trace her iPhone 5S, which is lime green with a red flip case, a Marvel superhero wallet and a clear bag of medication about 4in – 5in in size.
Forensic examinations are on-going at the scene.
