The husband of an American tourist missing in Highland Perthshire has broken his silence on the circumstances of her disappearance.
Speaking nine weeks after his wife Susan was last seen, Donald McLean sought to end speculation on why the 61-year-old left the Moness Resort in Aberfeldy alone.
The couple and their two sons had spent the day of May 17 touring the sights in the region before returning to their lodge for an evening meal.
However, following an argument, Susan left the resort on her own to go for a walk.
The last confirmed sighting of the horse riding instructor was on CCTV at 7.45pm.
Her family became concerned when she did not return after several hours and raised the alarm.
He said: “Susan and I had a disagreement about dinner following our return from the Yew Pub in Fortingall.
“So, being upset, she left the lodge to go for a walk to cool off, something she often did to clear her head.”
Donald said it was normal for his wife to go walking on her own. He said she had done something similar the previous week while they holidayed in Oban.
He added that he has taken his own steps to further the investigation into Susan’s disappearance.
“I stayed on in Scotland for more than a week after sending my sons home, to search and work with the police,” he said.
“I hired a private investigator as well in order to further the search for Susan.
“He and his operatives are still working diligently searching for her.”
He also revealed that the family was due to move from their Pennsylvania home to the state of South Carolina in the next few weeks, after his imminent retirement from the United States Department of Agriculture.
The couple are due to celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary next month.
A long-time friend of the McLeans has also flown in to Scotland to reignite the search for Susan.
Lorna VanderZanden plans to speak to locals and search the area in a bid to find out what happened to her friend. They met while she and Mr McLean were serving as US Army vets in Hawaii.