10-08-2025
Edinburgh's Suzanne Pilley's family issue plea for killer to reveal location of body
The family of an Edinburgh murder victim are pleading with her killer to end their 15 year torture and reveal where he hid her body.
Suzanne Pilley disappeared in the capital back in 2010 when she was 38.
Murderer David Gilroy is currently behind bars as he serves an 18-year sentence for the heinous crime but he continued to torment the family by failing to reveal the location of her remains.
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Speaking to the Sunday Mail for the first time in more than five years, Suzanne's sister Gail Fairgrieve and mum Sylvia Pilley told of the never ending heartache over the loss and lack of closure.
Fighting back tears, Gail told the Mail: 'It's very difficult to explain the emotional impact. Every family situation, every birthday, every Christmas, every milestone.
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'Suzanne was my Maid of Honour at my wedding. She never saw my 25th wedding anniversary. It's the same with my kids, she had a niece and a nephew who have had so many birthdays. And she wasn't there for it. He denied her that.'
Gilroy, who was Suzanne's work colleague, was jailed for her murder in 2012. He is believed to have buried her body in a remote part of Argyll but has refused to divulge the location.
Sylvia, who hasn't spoken publicly about the loss of her daughter since 2018, said: 'I know Suzanne had justice when he was put in prison but her life has been cut short. She really wanted a family and she has never been given that, and we miss her. That's really why we are doing this.'
Gail said all the family now wants is 'to bring Suzanne home and celebrate the life she did have'.
She added: 'That's everybody's final wish, so it would be a quite significant thing if [Gilroy] was to give us that information.'
At a press conference on Wednesday organised by Victim Support Scotland, Gail and Sylvia were joined by family members of Arlene Fraser, another murdered woman whose body has never been found.
Carol Gillies, sister of Arlene who disappeared in Elgin in 1998, revealed how she and Gail had bonded over their shared trauma – and become close allies in the campaign to introduce 'Suzanne's Law' in Scotland.
The change, set to be delivered in the coming months, will make it harder for killers to be freed on parole if they don't disclose where their victims' bodies are.
Gilroy is not eligible for parole until 2030 – however, in the case of Arlene's twice-convicted killer husband Nat Fraser, he could be freed as early as October 2028 under the current rules.
With the two families sharing a public platform for the first time, Gail and Carol were asked if they took strength from each other.
Carol said: 'Oh, absolutely. We're usually on the phone for about an hour and a half.'
Arlene was last seen waving her kids off to school at her home in Elgin, Moray. Her disappearance sparked one of Scotland's largest ever police investigations.
Fraser was first jailed for killing the 33-year-old in 2003 with the trial revealing she had been making plans to divorce him. His first conviction was quashed but he was found guilty again at a 2012 retrial.
Despite repeated pleas to Fraser from the family to reveal her whereabouts, no trace of Arlene has ever been found.
Speaking alongside mum Isabelle Thompson, Carol said: 'He controlled Arlene when she was alive and he's controlling her when she's dead. To have Nat Fraser in front of the parole board and all they are considering is... how he behaved in jail is just not enough.
'If he was to get out, then the truth would be gone forever.'
Carol spoke powerfully about the 'mental torture' the family had endured with their shocking 27-year wait to find Arlene.
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She said: 'I think I sometimes feel guilty that I have a life. She was only 33 when she was taken. She wouldn't want me to feel guilty, she would want me to live my life. But she has missed out on so much…
"I feel that Arlene now comes under the heading of 'remains'. I still see her as a person... she's still a person to us.'
The families' joint press conference followed a 'positive' meeting with Justice Secretary Angela Constance on their calls to toughen parole rules.
Under an amendment to the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill, there will be a requirement that the Parole Board 'must' take into account when killers refuse to disclose remains in decisions on whether to release them.
