BBC Crimewatch launches fresh appeal to trace body of Edinburgh woman Suzanne Pilley murdered in 2010
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Suzanne Pilley was murdered in May 2010 by her former partner and colleague David Gilroy but her body has never been found.
Gilroy is believed to have killed 38-year-old Suzanne in Edinburgh and hidden her body in the basement level of their Thistle Street office before driving to Argyll the next day to dispose of her body.
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Hide AdThe 61-year-old, who has never admitted his crime nor disclosed the location of Suzanne’s body, was convicted of murder in March 2012 and sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison.
Gilroy’s reluctance to assist police enquiries has left Suzanne’s family ‘in a state of limbo’ and her father Rob passed away in 2019 never having known what happened to his daughter.


Speaking to Crimewatch, DCI Bob Williamson, said: “We have caught Suzanne's killer, David Gilroy, however David refuses to accept that guilt or assist us in any way to find Suzanne's body.”
For over a decade, Edinburgh CID have focussed their search in the Rest and Be Thankful and Argyll Forrest areas where it is suspected her remains have been hidden.
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Hide AdSpeaking on the programme that was released on October 17, DCI Williamson told: “People that know the area will know there's a number of forestry tracks, some of which are secure, some of which can be accessed and can certainly take a vehicle, however it would cause damage due to uneven terrain that the vehicle would be driving over.
“You certainly wouldn’t expect to see a silver Vauxhall Vectra driving down one of those roads and if you did see that and it jumped out to you that day, then we need to know where that was to allow us to set up a search of particular areas where Suzanne might be.
“There is also the possibility that there was a red and white golf umbrella on the back parcel shelf, which may have been obvious to someone on the outside of the vehicle, that could also provide a clue as to being the vehicle that we're interested in.”
In 2020, Suzanne's sister, Gail Fairgrieve, said: "For the past decade we have lived in a state of limbo, waiting for the news that Suzanne's body had been found, but we've never been able to get that closure.
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Hide Ad"We accept that Suzanne was murdered and believe that the person responsible is in prison, but we feel we cannot say a proper goodbye until her body is found. We understand that only one person can tell us where Suzanne is but has refused to do so.
"The police investigation can only conclude when Suzanne is found and so I would plead with anyone who knows something but hasn't come forward to search their conscience and get in touch. Not for our sake, but for Suzanne's. Please let us give her the burial and send-off she deserves."
DCI Williamson added: “Since 2010 we have been trying with repeated appeals just hoping that a member of the public will just think, well, maybe that bit of information I've got is important.
“The family have been so strong for all this time and put up with so much grief for the past 14 years which has obviously caused a lot of stress for the family. To be able to bring Suzanne home and allow them to give her a proper funeral would be a massive, massive thing for them.”
Anyone with information that could help police with the investigation is asked to call 101 or make a report to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You can also contact BBC Crimewatch on 0800 468 999.