Death of teenager Cole Copper missing from Falkirk treated as 'unexplained'
Cole was reported missing on Friday 9 May – five days after leaving a party in Denny in the early hours of the morning.Ch Insp Alex Hatrick encouraged anyone who had not already spoken to officers to come forward and do so.
He said: "Cole Cooper's disappearance and the circumstances leading up to it remain unexplained."We remain in regular contact with the family to ensure they are kept up to date with all aspects of the investigation."Extensive inquiries are ongoing to piece together Cole's last movements and find answers for his loved ones."
Cole was seen on CCTV approaching the door of his father's house in Mayfield Road, Longcroft, at about 05:49 on 4 May, before leaving about four minutes later.He was later captured on CCTV at a number of other locations in the nearby area, including on Cumbernauld Road at 06:00.A witness told police they spoke to Cole at about 20:45 on 7 May on the A803 Glasgow Road at the intersection with Cumbernauld Road in Longcroft.A body was found in nearby woodland on Friday.
Police are investigating his movements between 4 and 7 May and are hoping to access further CCTV footage from the wider Banknock area close to the A803 Kilsyth Road.Officers are already in the process of examining more than 2,000 hours of CCTV footage, while door-to-door inquiries are ongoing in the Banknock and Longcroft areas.Cole's family announced plans to hold a vigil for the teenager.Details are to be confirmed in due course.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Police investigate ‘suspicious' second fire at Sydney childcare centre chain in four days
New South Wales police are investigating a suspicious fire at a second Sydney childcare centre, after another facility in the same chain caught fire three days ago. Police said they are investigating whether the two incidents – both at Play to Learn centres in Sydney – are linked. Emergency services were alerted at about 1.30am on Monday to reports of a fire at Play to Learn in Castle Hill, in Sydney's north-west, police said. The fire caused minor damage to the building. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'The fire is being treated as suspicious and detectives are investigating whether the incident is linked to a fire in Turramurra last week,' police said. The Play to Learn centre in Turramurra – in Sydney's upper north shore – caught fire on Friday. Police have established a crime scene around the Castle Hill centre and are investigating the causes of both incidents. Play to Learn has operated for 19 years and runs three centres in NSW. Operators of the Turramurra centre said their CCTV system captured the entirety of the incident and they would work closely with police on the investigation. The Play to Lean founder and director, Jade Luci, said the Turramurra centre's fire safety protocols had ensured there was minimal damage to the building. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'We are heartbroken by this senseless act, but our commitment to safety and quality care remains stronger than ever,' Luci said. 'Our fire safety and surveillance systems worked exactly as they should. 'We have no concerns about safety when our families return, and we look forward to welcoming them back to a centre that remains as safe, nurturing and connected as ever.' More to come.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Family's chilling suspicion realized after dancer found dead in burning car with bleach poured down her throat
The family of an Arizona dancer who was found dead in a burning car with bleach poured down her throat has had their chilling suspicion confirmed as investigators reveal shock details about her alleged-killers. Mercedes Vega, 22, was discovered tortured in the back of a flaming Chevrolet Malibu off a highway roughly 50 miles west of Phoenix in April 2023. Her battered body was found the day she was set to testify against Cudjoe Young, a man accused of robbing her at gunpoint in 2020. She had previously identified him as the culprit. Vega's mother and step-father, Erika and stepfather Tom Pillsbury, have long believed she was killed to stop her spill incriminating evidence about the alleged assailant in court. Now, their unsettling theory may have been proven true. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office believes the two men accused to killing Vega, Jared Gray and Sencere Hayes, are connected to Young. While few details regarding the nature of their relationship have been made clear, they are all linked by location. They all have ties to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Young grew up there, while Gray and Hayes traveled there from Phoenix. Two people interview by detectives claimed Young paid Gray and Hayes to pick up the Chevrolet Malibu Vega was found in after buying it online in March 2023. Gray and Hayes had also flown in from Tennessee together, NBC reported. The person whose credit card was used to buy their tickets allegedly told police he never purchased them. But they claimed the Young had access to their card and may have bought the tickets himself. The revelation that these three men may have been in cahoots has brought some closure for Vega's parents. 'We've felt like we've been drowning in a sea of despair and grief for two and a half years,' Erika told NBC. 'And now we've been thrown a life preserver. The people that are responsible for murdering my little daughter are hopefully going to face justice.' Last month, the sheriff's office recommended that Young should be charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping in Vega's death, according to court documents reviewed by NBC. Hayes was the first suspect charged regarding Vega's murder. He was arrested in November 2024 and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and theft. He has pleaded not guilty. Gray, who is serving time in Georgia for an unrelated incident, faces the same charges in connection to Vega's death, according to a June 20 court filing reviewed by NBC. Young is currently only facing charges related to allegedly following Vega home from the strip club she worked at, Le Girls. Several other dancers had the club had also been violently robbed around the same time. Young had allegedly followed Vega home one night - sprinting toward her in her building's parking garage and demanding her belongings. 'He shoved her to the ground, told her he'd kill her and held the gun to her face,' Erika told NBC. Young allegedly stole everything she had on her and fled the scene. After Vega identified Young as the man who robbed her, he was arrested and charged. But he posted his $50,000 bond and has been a free man. Vega had moved to a Tempe apartment complex she believed would be safer after she was attacked. Since the incident, Vega was easily startled, her mother said. 'You couldn't walk up behind her without her jumping,' she added. However, the garage of this building was the last place she was seen alive before she was kidnapped and murdered in 2023. Vega vanished after telling friends she was headed to work. 'Uber is $60,' Vega wrote to her friend and co-worker Jelena Gamboa that night, as they were supposed to get together. 'I might just go to work then. I feel like it's a sign I shouldn't go.' Security cameras caught the moment her car, followed by the Chevrolet Malibu she was found in, both exited the garage. Her disappearance sparked a frantic manhunt, but she was found dead a day after she disappeared. The Sheriff's Office said Young was out of custody at the time of Vega's death, but that his ankle monitor did not place him at the scene of the crime. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial regarding the robbery case has been postponed 16 times, according to 12 News. It is officially scheduled to kick off at the end of the month. It is unclear why it has been delayed for so long. 'I just don't understand how the system continues to allow someone to basically play the system to their full advantage. And that's exactly what he's doing,' Vega's step-dad Tom told 12 News in March.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Boy, 15, tragically drowns in Glasgow river as body pulled from water on hottest day of the year
A TEENAGER has died after he tragically drowned in a Glasgow river. Cops, paramedics and firefighters were all scrambled after reports of a 15-year-old boy in the River Kelvin last night. 3 3 A major rescue operation was launched on Kelvindale Road near the city's Maryhill. The emergency services, including water rescue support teams, were parked up on the busy road beside the River Kelvin as the incident unfolded on Saturday. Police officers were seen standing guard at a path beside the road leading onto the National Cycle Network. Locals reported seeing a police helicopter circling overhead. Tragically, a body was found in the river around 11.30pm. Police say a probe into the tragedy is currently ongoing but the death is not being treated as suspicious. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 6.40pm on Saturday, 12 July, 2025, a search and rescue operation was launched following a report of a 15-year-old male in the River Kelvin, near Maryhill Road, Glasgow. 'Emergency services attended and around 11.30pm the body of a male was recovered from the water. "Enquiries are ongoing, however, the death is not being treated as suspicious." It comes as thousands of sunseekers flocked to beaches and parks to soak up scorching heatwave temperatures across the country. Woman dies after tragic fall at busy Scots beauty spot in front of 'distraught' crowd Elsewhere, we told how a woman has died after falling at a waterfall popular with swimmers and sunbathers near Glasgow. The victim, 63, was fatally injured as families flocked to the beauty spot in the Campsie Glen on the hottest day of the year. Police, fire engines and an ambulance were sent to the area where a hiker was hospitalised after plunging 25ft last summer. An onlooker told The Scottish Sun: 'There was a lot of people crying at the scene. The police and ambulance service are there. I think a specialist climbing unit had also been there earlier. It's quite a hilly and rocky area. It's easy to fall over the side.' Police sealed off a nearby car park with blue tape and were stopping drivers from entering after the accident around 12.35pm. The woman was treated by paramedics but could not be saved.
