Woman's body found in search for missing sisters

Ken Banks
BBC Scotland, North East reporter, Aberdeen
Huszti family Henrietta and Eliza Huszti, two sisters smiling at camera.Huszti family
Henrietta, left, and Eliza Huszti went missing on 7 January

The body of a woman has been found near where two missing sisters were last seen in Aberdeen.

Henrietta and Eliza Huszti - both 32 and from a set of triplets - were last sighted near the River Dee on 7 January.

Police Scotland said the body had been recovered after being seen in the river, near Queen Elizabeth Bridge, at about 07:55.

Officers said that while the woman had not yet been formally identified, the family of Henrietta Huszti had been informed and that the search for her sister Eliza was continuing.

Police said inquiries were ongoing but that there were no apparent suspicious circumstances.

Blue police tents next to a river and Aberdeen Boat Club building.
There has been significant activity at the scene at the River Dee

Supt David Howieson said: "Our thoughts are with the Huszti family today.

"We are keeping them fully updated following this recovery and the further search activity, which is ongoing.

"Our priority remains finding both of the sisters and search has focused on the River Dee and will do so in the coming days."

He said the river was tidal in that area and that conditions were "challenging", but that they would make every effort to locate both sisters.

And he added: "We know how much of an impact this has had in Aberdeen and much further afield."

A Google map showing the spot on Market Street next to the River Dee where the sisters were last seen and downstream to the Queen Elizabeth Bridge where the body was found
The two bridges are about half a mile apart

A police boat has been searching the river and coastguard teams were also at the scene.

The disappearance of the two sisters - originally from Hungary - sparked a major search operation earlier this month.

They were last seen in the early hours of 7 January, when they crossed the Victoria Bridge and turned right onto a footpath next to the river heading towards Aberdeen Boat Club.

The Victoria Bridge and Queen Elizabeth Bridge are about half a mile apart on the River Dee.

Scott Bousfield, the owner of the cleaning company where Eliza worked for nearly six years, told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime the news was "heartbreaking."

He said: "It was absolutely shocking when we heard the news this morning.

"It's such a shame for the family. Only finding one is such a shame too, as they don't know what's happened to Eliza yet."

Mr Bousfield described Eliza as a woman very close to her sister, who was a keen cook and liked by her work colleagues.

Huszti family Henrietta and Eliza Huszti, two sisters smiling at camera, dressed in jeans and jackets and warm hats, standing in snow.Huszti family
The sisters disappeared during a bitterly cold spell in Aberdeen

Earlier this week, Police Scotland said searches of the river and the harbour area had ended.

But the force said inquiries would be ongoing and coastal areas north and south of the city would continue to be searched.

Detectives previously revealed the sisters visited the Victoria Bridge the day before they disappeared.

They also texted their landlady from the bridge area in the early hours of 7 January to say they would not return to their flat.

PA Media Two searchers in yellow hi-vis jackets on the shoreline of a river, they are reflected in the water, and a bridge arch is in the background.PA Media
The shoreline of the River Dee is being searched
A small police boat on a river, with cars and buildings in the background.
A police boat was out on the Dee after the body was found

The sisters moved to Scotland about 10 years ago.

Officers had been treating it as a missing persons inquiry and not a criminal investigation.

The sisters had not told relatives they planned to imminently move out of their rented Aberdeen flat.

They had been saving up to buy a property but their brother Jozsef told BBC News earlier this month it was "strange" the family did not know they had decided to end their tenancy.