Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
October 13, 2009
A 57-YEAR-OLD man was charged today following the discovery of human remains buried in the garden of a house in the Duddingston area of the city.
Police investigating the disappearance of Samantha Wright, 25, spent yesterday searching the property in Magdalene Drive.
Miss Wright was last seen alive as she made her way home from the Jobcentre at High Riggs in Edinburgh on 12 June last year.
But she was not reported missing until February this year, after her family raised the alarm when she failed to contact them at Christmas or on her birthday on 5 January.
She left behind all her belongings at her rented home in Stevenson Drive, Saughton. And since she went missing, no cash has been withdrawn from her bank account and she has not used her mobile phone.
Earlier this year, police discovered CCTV footage showing Miss Wright in Hanover Street and an older man walking with her.
Originally from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Miss Wright moved to the Capital about four years ago after falling in love with the city on a family holiday.
She worked as a waitress in the city, but later lived a "haphazard" lifestyle, with few friends or established places to visit.
Her mother, Catherine Gibson, had previously spoken of her fears her daughter would not be traced alive and knowing she was missing was "like a headache that won't go away".
"We don't know what to think, some of the thoughts that go through my mind are horrible," Ms Gibson said earlier this year.
Residents of Magdalene Drive awoke yesterday morning to find the ground-floor property cordoned off by police tape. Throughout the day, special operations officers and forensics teams arrived to carry out a thorough search of the house and its front and back gardens.
Police confirmed late last night they had found what they believed to be human remains.
A spokesman said: "Inquiries at Magdalene Drive are at an early stage and a full forensic recovery has to be undertaken to determine identity traits, including gender, age and origin.
"Lothian and Borders Police currently have a number of missing persons inquiries and it is too soon to speculate as to the possible identity of these remains."
Early today, police said that a man had been charged in connection with the discovery.
A statement said: "A 57-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the discovery of human remains at a domestic property in Magdalene Drive, Edinburgh.
"A full forensic examination to identify the remains is being undertaken."
The man is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow.
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