A grieving Perth mother whose son’s body has never been found following his violent death over 11 years ago has seen the latest attempt to locate his grave end in failure.
Police returned to the Carse of Gowrie this week in a bid to find Adam Alexander’s body.
His killer Thomas Pryde is adamant he buried Mr Alexander in a field near Errol Brickworks following a dispute in November 1999, but the exact location cannot be determined.
Despite using the latest radar equipment to examine areas on Monday and Tuesday, police remain in the dark.
Tricia Bremner has never given up hope of giving her son a proper burial but has been left devastated by the latest blow.
She said, “I was aware they were going to be searching and, while I don’t believe Adam is actually at that place, your adrenaline does kick in and you start thinking they might find something.
“We know Tom Pryde was panicking and he said he drove down that road and then turned back and then turned off the road completely and buried Adam somewhere and he keeps saying it was there.
“I didn’t get my hopes up because I’m certain he’s lying but there is always that thought in the back of the mind that I might be wrong.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Roddy Ross is leading the search for Mr Alexander’s body.
He said specialists from the Home Office Scientific Development used the latest radar technology to search for areas of disturbed soil in the locale given to them by Pryde.
He said, “The technology has come on considerably since our original excavations down there and we will continue to look at new developments and deploy them where we can and see if we can find Adam.
“The equipment used won’t show a body but it will identify areas of movement in the subsoil and gives us an opportunity to explore them further.
“We explored a couple of areas down there but there was still no sign of Adam…
“For us it’s a frustration of the job but for Mrs Bremner it is her life.”
A local businessman, Pryde was jailed in April for 10 years after admitting the culpable homicide of Mr Alexander and concealing his body.
Mr Alexander’s disappearance prompted a prolonged missing person inquiry before fresh evidence turned it into a murder probe.