Umbrella clue & eerie final CCTV – how woman's killer was finally snared but why he may NEVER reveal darkest secret

Scottish Sun

17-06-2025

The Sun delves into one of the UK's most unusual murder cases with a mountain of clues, but one final piece of evidence remains missing
WITHOUT A TRACE Umbrella clue & eerie final CCTV – how woman's killer was finally snared but why he may NEVER reveal darkest secret
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SUZANNA Pilley's day started like any other - she took the bus to work, then popped into Sainsburys next to her office.
But the 38-year-old bookkeeper was never seen again after being brutally murdered by her lover - and her body has never been found.
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Suzanne Pilley, 38, disappeared without a trace on her way to work
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David Gilroy accused of murdering Suzanne and hiding her body in the boot of a car, leaves the High Court in Edinburgh on day one of the trial in 2010
Credit: SWNS Group
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CCTV footage of Suzanne getting off a bus by Jenners in Princes Street, Edinburgh, on the day she vanished
Credit: Lothian & Borders Police
While cops initially treated the horrifying case as a missing persons inquiry, it later became a murder investigation after police began to unravel Suzanne's complicated life.
They found her former lover, David Gilroy, had killed Suzanne in May 2010 after a furious argument when she tried to end their affair.
Having moved back in with his wife following the split, he tampered with Suzanne's emails and bombarded her with more than 400 messages, which suddenly stopped when she vanished.
Cops believe Suzanne was murdered in the basement of her office block on Thistle Street, Edinburgh where they both worked, before her body was hidden in an alcove while Gilroy returned home to collect his Vauxhall Astra.
The callous dad-of-two even kept Suzanne's remains in his car while attending a school play and going for dinner with his family.
He is then believed to have driven to Lochgilphead to dump her body - his car was found to have suffered extensive damage from travelling over rough ground that he was unable to explain to police.
Despite no body ever being found, Gilroy was convicted in March 2012. He is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 18 years.
But the monster, now aged 62, continues to maintain his innocence while rotting in jail.
Twisted Gilroy previously told a crime podcast he would 'fight until my dying breath' to clear his name.
He added: 'I think I've been denied justice.
'I do believe that I have more than enough to prove my innocence beyond any doubt.'
You are the only person who knows where her body is
Judge Lord Bracadale
In a final insult, Gilroy has never revealed where Suzanne's body is - leading to 15 years of agony for her family.
Cops suspect Suzanne's body was buried in Argyll Forest, around 40 miles from Glasgow, but several searches of the area have so far turned up nothing.
Judge Lord Bracadale previously told Gilroy he had shown 'quite chilling calmness' when he disposed of his ex-lover's remains.
Caging the fiend in 2012, he continued: 'It seems that you are the only person who knows where her body is.'
Now, a criminologist has told The Sun Online why the evil killer may never divulge the grisly secret.
Nicole Nyamwiza, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at The University of Law said: "Refusing to reveal the location of a body is a pattern we've seen in several high-profile cases. It's often about control.
"Even after conviction, the offender can still dictate the terms of closure.
"In the case of David Gilroy, the continued silence keeps the family in a state of suspended grief, and that in itself is a form of harm. This is not unique.
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Images shown in court show scratches on Gilroy's hand that were consistent with a struggle
Credit: Handout
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It is thought Gilroy lured Suzanne to the basement garage (pictured) and killed her
Credit: Handout
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An umbrella, which was seen on the parcel shelf of the killer's car on the way to Lochgilphead, but thought to have been put inside the boot after the body was dumped
Credit: PA:Press Association
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Suzanne and Gilroy seen for the last time together on CCTV in an Edinburgh supermarket, two days before she disappeared
Credit: BBC
"Ian Simms, who was convicted of murdering Helen McCourt in 1988, never revealed where he left her body. That refusal went on for decades. Despite forensic evidence, despite a conviction, he held on to that final piece of power.
"For some individuals, particularly those with controlling or narcissistic tendencies, keeping that information back is deliberate. It sustains attention, preserves denial, or simply continues the exercise of control."
Murder convictions where no body is found are rare, and the Pilley case is one of a handful in the UK where the decision has relied on circumstantial evidence.
Despite their torment, Suzanne's family have refused to give up and launched Suzanne's Law in her name to stop killers who refuse to disclose the location of a victim's body from getting parole.
Nicole added: "There is also a wider issue here about what justice really means. If someone can serve a sentence without ever disclosing what happened to a victim's remains, we have to question how we assess accountability or rehabilitation.
"Proposals like Suzanne's Law are an important step. They recognise that justice involves more than time served. For many families, justice starts with being able to bring their loved one home."
Chilling CCTV
Suzanne and Gilroy had begun their affair in the spring of 2009 and he'd moved into her former council flat just a few streets away from her parents.
Speaking during the court case, Suzanne's mother says the pair had a turbulent relationship and that her daughter had struggled to cope with his jealous behaviour.
Two days before Suzanne vanished, the bookkeeper and Gilroy were seen on CCTV food shopping near her flat.
Police Scotland also tracked the bookkeeper's last movements on the day of her disappearance through CCTV after she was reported missing by her parents.
She boarded the No 2 bus near her home in Stenhouse, Edinburgh. at 8.20am, before changing to a No 4 bus.
She entered a Sainsbury's at 8.48am and was seen walking into her office at 8.55am. Suzanne was never seen again.
Early on, a person of interest was her married colleague and ex-Royal Navy engineer, Gilroy, due to their tumultuous relationship and his refusal to accept that their love affair was over.
During his trial, it was heard that Gilroy met Suzanne when she arrived at work the day she went missing.
They went to the basement garage and an argument ensued, after which the jury was told there had been a struggle and he had killed the bookkeeper.
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Robert Pilley holds a picture of his daughter as he speaks about her disappearance before he died in 2019
Credit: PA:Press Association
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Many searches of the forest have been carried out over the years to no avail
Credit: Colin Garvie - The News of the World Glasgow
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Police believe Suzanne's remains were hidden at Argyll Forest Park
Credit: Tom Farmer - The Sun Glasgow
The court heard he hid her body while he bought air fresheners, put her body in his car and then drove home.
Disturbingly, he attended a school play and went out for dinner with his family as her remains lay in the boot of his car on the driveway.
The day after Suzanne vanished, Gilroy went on an unplanned trip to Lochgilphead, Argyllshire, 130 miles away, where he had taken his lover for days out in the past.
On the way back, police called him in for questioning and spotted scratches on his hand that he tried to cover up with makeup.
From then on, he became a prime suspect.
Dirt and vegetation on his car wheels suggested he had recently visited a forest - and Gilroy couldn't explain it away.
Detectives worked out that he took five hours to drive what should have been a 36 minute journey to Lochgilphead.
Cops scoured CCTV once again, tracking Gilroy's movements, and watched as he bought bin bags from a shop.
Umbrella clue
Street cameras also tracked his car making its way to Lochgilphead, and an umbrella was spotted on the parcel shelf in the boot of the vehicle.
On his return journey, the umbrella was no longer there - and cops theorised it had been put back in the boot when the remains were taken out.
A dog trained to smell blood and human remains also identified three areas of interest - the basement, and two spots in the boot of Gilroy's car.
The evidence was enough for the jury to make a majority verdict after almost three days of deliberation.
But nearly 13 years on, one thing remains unsolved - the location of Suzanne's body.
Gail Fairgrieve, Suzanne's sister, said in 2019: "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.
"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.
"Both my mother and I want to again thank the public who have continued to contact the police, which has always given us hope that Suzanne has not been forgotten.
Please let us give her the burial and send-off she deserves
Gail Fairgrieve
"We understand that only one person can tell us where Suzanne is but has refused to do so. Police Scotland will respond to any information and are committed to bringing us some form of closure.
"Their 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."
Police Scotland said: "We remain committed to finding these answers for Suzanne's mother, Sylvia and sister, Gail."
In another brutal blow for the family, Suzanne's dad tragically died in 2019 without ever knowing what happened to his daughter.
Time is ticking to finally bring Suzanne home to her remaining loved ones - but it seems certain that her callous killer will look to take his secret to the grave.
Those with information are asked to contact Police Scotland via 101. Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.