Hundreds turn out for vigil held in memory of Cole Cooper

STV News

5 hours ago

A vigil has been held in memory of a teenager who was missing for four weeks before his body was found.
Cole Cooper, 19, was last seen by his family on May 2 or 3, and was reported missing by them on May 9.
He was seen on CCTV on Sunday May 4 in Longcroft, Falkirk at around 6am, and was also reported to have been seen by a witness on May 7, asking for a lift.
On June 6, his body was found in a wooded area of Banknock with police treating his death as 'unexplained'.
A vigil was held in the grounds of Glenskirlie Hotel in Banknock on Sunday evening, where Mr Cooper was remembered by hundreds of people. Police Scotland On Friday, Police Scotland said that Mr Cooper's body had been formally identified.
Footage of the event was shared on a Facebook page which had been set up to trace Mr Cooper.
His mother, Wendy Stewart, held up a flare at the memorial and comforted two young children, while older sibling Connor Cooper gave a tearful speech, and thanked people in the community who had helped with the search.
Older brother Mr Cooper said: 'He is one of the most loving and caring boys there was.'
He added: 'As a family we will continue to demand answers and get justice for you.'
Mr Cooper's aunt, Aimee Tennie, also gave a speech and said her nephew was 'the most handsome, caring, loving boy.'
She said: 'This little boy wanted nothing more than to have a family of his own and to have his business thrive.
'We are absolutely broken as a family. It doesn't feel real. We don't want to say goodbye to you.'
A huge search was launched involving air and marine units, and police scoured more than 2,000 hours of CCTV footage.
Mr Cooper was last seen by family on either May 2 or 3 and he appeared on CCTV at about 6am on May 4 in Longcroft, where he tried but failed to access his father's home.
He was last seen at about 8.45pm on May 7 on the A803 near Cumbernauld Road in Longcroft, when he asked a school friend for a lift, which he was not given.
Police said that establishing Mr Cooper's movements between Sunday, May 4, and Wednesday, May 7, is a priority for officers.
On Friday, Police Scotland said that Mr Cooper's body had been formally identified.
Chief Inspector Alex Hatrick said: 'My thoughts are with Cole's family and friends at this time and officers will continue to offer them support.
'As our inquiries progress, we are ensuring the family is kept informed with all aspects of the investigation.
'A dedicated team of detectives is working to piece together Cole's movements leading up to his death.
'Again, I would urge people to think back and please contact police with any information, no matter how small it might seem.'
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 828 of Friday, May 9.
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