Missing man 'may have disappeared while hillwalking' as police deploy drones in search one year on

Police have deployed drones and used AI in a bid to locate a keen hillwalker who disappeared from the Highlands one year ago.

The family of Ian Ross became concerned for his welfare after being unable to contact him, having last spoken to him on Friday, September 6 2024.

He was reported missing 11 days later on September 17.

Keen hillwalker

A known hillwalker, the 66-year-old’s grey Dacia Duster SUV was found in the Beinn Alligin car park at Torridon on September 18. The car park is situated near the popular hiking spot, which is home to two Munros.

Since his disappearance, police have carried out extensive enquiries, both on foot and in partnership with the Search and Rescue Aerial Association.

Drones and artificial intelligence have been used in the search efforts.

Ian is described as white, around 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build with grey hair and grey/blue eyes.

It is not known what he was wearing when he was last seen, however as an experienced hillwalker, he is expected to have been wearing walking boots, a waterproof jacket and a rucksack.

Ian Ross' SUV was found in the Beinn Alligin car park — Ian Ross’ SUV was found in the Beinn Alligin car park Google Maps

Police said the ongoing search for Ian has been “upsetting” for his family, and have urged anyone with any information to come forward.

Inspector Daniel Jack said: “A year on from when Ian was last heard from, we are appealing to anyone who has yet to speak to the police or may have any information that could assist our enquiries to come forward.

“Extensive searches have been carried out in the past year, including working with our partner organisations to utilise new technology to continue our search in the area Ian was last known to be.

“We have worked alongside Mountain Rescue, the Search and Rescue Aerial Association and members of the community and would like to thank them for their continued support.

“However, despite our efforts, Ian has not been seen since.”

Family left ‘extremely upset’

Inspector Jack continued: “This remains extremely upsetting for Ian’s family, and we would urge anyone who is yet to come forward to speak to us.

“In addition, we’d ask anyone who was in the area surrounding Torridon around Sunday, September 8, 2024, to get in touch with us, no matter how small the information may seem.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 2381 of Tuesday, September 17, 2024.