A family in Scotland is facing renewed heartbreak after additional remains belonging to 71-year-old Hazel Nairn were discovered nearly three years after she vanished while walking her dog.
Police Scotland said that on Saturday, Oct. 11, around 12:25 p.m. local time, they received a report of possible human remains found along the River Don near the village of Kemnay in Garioch, Aberdeenshire. Detectives are investigating, and Nairn’s family has been informed of the discovery.
Nairn was last seen in November 2022 near Monymusk, a village a few miles west of Kemnay, when she was swept away by floodwaters while out with her dog, according to BBC News, The Press and Journal, and Sky News. The dog’s body was recovered a few days later, but search efforts for Nairn were hampered by high water levels despite assistance from underwater search teams.
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In May 2024, partial remains belonging to Nairn were recovered from the River Don near Kemnay. At the time, police said her death was not considered suspicious.
On the first anniversary of her disappearance, Nairn’s daughter, Anneka, told BBC News that the loss was an “awful tragedy.” “I don’t want people to think of us or our heartache,” she said, “but to think of my mum Hazel and how she is not home yet or at peace but out there, somewhere, all alone.”
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As authorities confirmed the discovery of more remains this month, the grieving family told The Press and Journal that they were contacted by police but are still awaiting details. “We are brokenhearted once again,” they said. “We are just waiting anxiously to hear more about this latest find. Out of courtesy, we’d like to know when and where the remains are being forensically tested. Surely, as a family, we are entitled to know that.”
In a statement, the Nairn family expressed gratitude toward the local community for its continued compassion and support, thanking residents for “being so vigilant and never giving up hope for us.”
