Grieving mother believes 'third party' was involved in death of her 19-year-old son whose body was found following four-week hunt

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

The heartbroken mother of a Scottish teenager, who was missing for a month, believes a 'third party' was involved in her son's death.
Nineteen-year-old Cole Cooper vanished on May 9, sparking a four-week major search which involved helicopters, divers and specialist teams to track him down.
He was last spotted on CCTV five days before, trying to enter his father's home after a house party.
After assessing 2,000 hours of CCTV footage and speaking to over 400 people, Police Scotland found the young man dead in a wooded area near Falkrik.
Now his grieving mother Wendy Stewart, 42, believes there was 'third party' involvement in her son's death.
In an interview with Sky News, the mourning parent said her teenage son had been in 'various arguments' in the days before he went missing.
Speaking of her anguish of how she would never see her son, cuddle or hold his hand again, she said Cole was taken away from her 'far too son'.
'Whether it be intentionally or unintentionally, I do believe there has been some involvement by a third party and the result is the death of Cole,' she said.
It comes after Cole's family organised a vigil for the 19-year-old last weekend, where they spoke of getting 'justice'.
When Ms Stewart was asked the meaning behind this she said it was to find the person who 'is responsible for the death of [her] child'.
Cole's death is currently being treated by unexplained, Police Scotland previously said.
His aunt, Aimee Tennie, 32, also spoke of the family's general anger over how Cole's case was being managed by the force.
Explaining how they were aware of arguments the teenager had before he vanished, Ms Tennie said the family wanted details 'thoroughly' re-assessed.
His grieving mother also echoed similar concerns, claiming Police Scotland had handled her son's case 'shockingly'.
The 42-year-old claimed she had to 'scream and shout from rooftops to be heard by the police'.
She added: 'The police really need to take accountability and listen to families, they are reporting a missing child and understand the family knows their child best.'
The 19-year-old's family have not been informed when his body will be released to them, so they can pay their final respects.
In the wake of Cole's death, the family previously said they would continue to 'fight for the truth'.
'We never gave up, and we never will give up - not until we have the answers. The fight for truth, for justice, and for Cole is not over.'
The family, who described Mr Cooper as their 'world' and said they were 'completely broken', thanked the local community for their assistance in the search for their missing boy.
They added: 'To the incredible community and beyond, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts.
'Your support through this horrendous experience has meant more than words can ever say.
'Every message, every shared post, every act of kindness - your generosity and compassion carried us through our darkest moments. We will never forget it'.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Enquiries remain ongoing.' MailOnline has approached the force for further comment.