Chief Constable Phil Gormley has ordered a fresh review into the unexplained death of a man in Wick Harbour almost 20 years ago.
The country’s top police officer wrote to the family of Kevin McLeod to say he had “personally requested that Police Scotland gives consideration to all known information relating to this case”.
The badly injured body of electrician Mr McLeod, 24, was recovered from the Caithness harbour after he had been on a night out with friends to celebrate his forthcoming wedding.
He was last seen in the early hours of February 8, 1997, with his body recovered from the sea the following morning.
The pathologist’s report showed he had suffered serious internal injuries, but his death remains unresolved.
A fatal accident inquiry found that foul play could not be ruled out, and his family has been desperate to discover the truth ever since.
In 2011, they wrote to the procurator fiscal imploring him to urge the police to make an appeal for information in relation to the death, but their request was turned down.
They also made a complaint to Northern Constabulary about its failure to follow the fiscal’s instructions that a murder inquiry should be carried out, but was told the force had no record of this request.
His parents, June and Hugh McLeod, last year wrote to Mr Gormley, asking him to make Police Scotland’s first ever appeal for information about their son’s death.
A police spokeswoman said today: “Officers from Specialist Crime Division are currently assessing the information relating to the death of Kevin McLeod.
“We continue to engage with the McLeod family and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”