UK UK - Neil Skinner, 72, last seen midday, camping close Loch Dochard, Scottish Highlands, 8 May 2022

[stu112]

They are all fenced off to stop the deer from getting in but all have access stiles to get over the deer fences.

Do we know if any searches were carried out in those areas? If he needed the toilet the logical thing may have been to climb the stile to go into the wood and he may have got lost but even then, he would have had to have taken ill whilst lost.

If it's not that then I can't help but think there may be a more sinister side to all of this.

 

[ZeroAlpha]

Do we know if any searches were carried out in those areas? If he needed the toilet the logical thing may have been to climb the stile to go into the wood and he may have got lost but even then, he would have had to have taken ill whilst lost.

If it's not that then I can't help but think there may be a more sinister side to all of this.

I believe the woodland areas were all searched by police, SAR and volunteers. I had a look around the woodlands near Loch Tulla.

If he had taken ill or had an accident he would most likely have been found by now as he would not have gone far from the beaten path.

 

[ZeroAlpha]

Neil could have taken ill or had an accident, but if that were the case I would have expected him to have been located by now.

I don't want to say too much about the other possibilities as the family have spoken about them and the police don't seem to be viewing this as anything other than a missing person case.

 

[seasideForest]

Neil could have taken ill or had an accident, but if that were the case I would have expected him to have been located by now.

RSBMFF
The thing about expecting somebody or someone's body to have been located by a specific time is that time and again bodies are not located until some time or other possibly even years later, despite them being near where expected. I'm not going to do a forum search rn but I'm pretty sure there have been examples of that here on the forum.

MOO JMO

Suicide is sadly possible even when a family denies this possibility. If that were the case, it's equally possible that Neil might have tried to go a bit further afield like to the peat bogs in order to disappear as best possible. My own experience of decades of depression as well as experiencing other people with depression is that others don't know or understand what is going on in the depressive person's head. The depressive person can suddenly feel like a burden and see a 'convenient spot' to end it all. Can. Not must. And obviously also very sadly because friends and most family mbrs aren't going to see the person as a burden.
MOO JMO

 

[stu112]

Suicide is sadly possible even when a family denies this possibility. If that were the case, it's equally possible that Neil might have tried to go a bit further afield like to the peat bogs in order to disappear as best possible. My own experience of decades of depression as well as experiencing other people with depression is that others don't know or understand what is going on in the depressive person's head. The depressive person can suddenly feel like a burden and see a 'convenient spot' to end it all. Can. Not must. And obviously also very sadly because friends and most family mbrs aren't going to see the person as a burden.
MOO JMO

Yep,very valid point. I'm sure the family just want closure and sadly, while the search continues, we can only theorise.

 

[ZeroAlpha]

K9 Outdoor Search Team commented on their YouTube video regarding the case:

The question is simply ‘Do you believe the story’? Because I did at first but came across so many contradictions and variations that warning flags were coming up day by day. For example;

1. What was Neil going to do for 5 days alone at the loch, taking into account his age, he’s known to wander and get lost plus he has health issues?
2. If he’s known to wander then why would anyone leave him alone for 5 days?
3. The two friends have not spoken to anyone except the police, they didn’t turn up for the Hike for Neil Meet, why?
4. Why put posters up showing someone ten years younger of age when the family had recent photographs of Neil?
5. Why say Neil is a regular mountain walker and wild camper when in reality Neil had trouble walking the 5 miles to Loch Dochard?
6. Why state the weather was bad those days when in reality the weather was warm and sunny, it only turned on the day the alarm was raised?
7. Since when have people on a five day hiking/camping break decide to leave their dry tent, walk out into torrential rain, turn back at this first sign of rain, walk uphill in this pouring rain, then conduct a search in really bad weather, walk back to their car, completing an estimated 11 miles over 4 to 5 hours, to raise the alarm BUT bypassing a farm only a mile from Loch Dochard that is clearly sign posted. Then walk by several lodges/houses, again where they could raise the alarm, to arrive at their car at Victoria Bridge Car Park, to then drive to the nearby hotel to finally raise the alarm. It just doesn’t make sense at all.

Trust me there is so much more I could say but I would be writing on here for days

 

[touch]

7. Since when have people on a five day hiking/camping break decide to leave their dry tent, walk out into torrential rain, turn back at this first sign of rain, walk uphill in this pouring rain, then conduct a search in really bad weather, walk back to their car, completing an estimated 11 miles over 4 to 5 hours, to raise the alarm BUT bypassing a farm only a mile from Loch Dochard that is clearly sign posted. Then walk by several lodges/houses, again where they could raise the alarm, to arrive at their car at Victoria Bridge Car Park, to then drive to the nearby hotel to finally raise the alarm. It just doesn’t make sense at all.

It makes a lot of sense to do that if they thought he might be waiting by the car, which seems like a logical assumption to me...

 

[ZeroAlpha]

 

[stu112]

Those points essentially capture what I'm thinking

 

[ZeroAlpha]

I recently had a look around the southern shores of Loch Tulla and the woodland areas at Forest Lodge and to the east of the Inveroran Hotel. I plan to go back and look again around Loch Dochard and maybe think outside the box and try other areas. The K9 search guy and his dogs have had a very good look around the area where Neil camped, as have others. They are sure he is not lying near there.

I have spoken again to a few volunteer searchers and locals.

There would have been shooting on the estate at the time and the stalkers' trails would have been in frequent use.

 

[stu112]

The search shouldn't be at the loch, it should be along the trail they all walked after that. I don't believe he went back and pitched a tent

 

[ZeroAlpha]

The search shouldn't be at the loch, it should be along the trail they all walked after that. I don't believe he went back and pitched a tent

Yep, I agree. The search should be beyond Loch Dochard towards Glen Kinglass.

I have just learned that this area to the west wasn't searched in any detail.

The focus has been on the Loch Dochard area where Neil was supposedly left on his own and back towards Forest Lodge / Victoria Bridge car park.

If I am up that way in the next few weeks I'm going to search from Loch Dochard towards the hydroelectric power station / Glen Kinglass Lodge at the entrance to Glen Kinglass.

I am getting to the point where I don't believe the narrative that we have been told, as are others.

Do we know for certain if he swapped his red jacket with a green one from his travelling companions?

When you say that you don't believe he went back and pitched a tent do you believe that they all encamped at Loch Dochard before moving towards Glen Kinglass the next day? That would make sense due to the late arrival unless the others wanted to push on but Neil was unable to.