Police name river torso woman

Divers have been searching the river

Police have identified the woman whose torso was found on a riverbank in Dumbarton.

She has been named as 19-year-old Amy Anderson, from the Alexandria area, near Dumbarton.

Ms Anderson, who was originally from the Dumfries area, had been reported missing on Saturday 4 May by friends.

She had been sleeping rough with her boyfriend, Brian Galloway, 26, who has been questioned by police and is not a suspect.

The detective in charge of the inquiry said it was a terrible incident and "one of the worst" he had ever been involved in.

We are anxious to speak to anyone who knew Amy and who can shed any light on her whereabouts since Saturday

Det Supt Stephen Ward

The torso was found on Thursday morning at the River Leven by a dog walker.

Police said that she had been killed in the 48 hours before the remains were found.

Amy's one-year-old daughter is being cared for by her grandparents.

Detective Superintendent Stephen Ward, the officer in charge of the inquiry, said: "A family liaison officer has been appointed to keep Amy's family aware of any progress with our enquiry.

"We are anxious to speak to anyone who knew Amy and who can shed any light on her whereabouts since Saturday.

"She had stayed at various addresses in the Alexandria area since she moved there and we are keen to find out where she had been prior to the date she went missing and who she associated with."

Last month, the torso of former soldier Daniel Hutcheson, from Drumchapel in Glasgow, was found a few miles from Dumbarton.

Amy's body was discovered by a dog walker

Det Supt Ward said he could not rule out a link between the two deaths at this stage.

"I don't think we have a serial killer, but we do have two torsos found in the same police division within a short period of time," he said.

The latest discovery was made at Sandpoint, Woodyard Road, at about 0800 BST on Thursday.

Forensic teams searched the area and a post-mortem examination was carried out that afternoon.

Forty detectives are working on the case and police divers, along with the human remains dog, have searched the river since the grim find.

However, no other body parts have been located.

Det Supt Ward said he was very concerned that Amy's family would be "absolutely shattered" by her death.

But he said the police were "determined and highly motivated to bring this whole matter to a swift conclusion".

The River Leven is the second fastest flowing river in Scotland, making it difficult to pinpoint the spot at which the torso went into the water.