A dog search team is to return to Lewis in a bid to trace missing Stornoway teenager Aleksandr Benga.
16-year-old Aleksandr was last seen in the grounds of Lews Castle in Stornoway on November 18 2024.
Despite searches by police, specialist divers and the coastguard helicopter, he remains missing.
His distraught family have raised more than £8,000 to fund private searches after police officially stopped searches in December.
Last week, Specialist Search Dogs were deployed in and around the town from Friday January 24 to Sunday January 26.
While the organisation didn’t find Aleksandr, it says it has narrowed the area in which to search and plan to return to Lewis.
It claims to also have “ruled out many hypothesis, theories and gossip” and has passed on findings to police.
Search team worked for three days but did not find Aleksandr Benga
Search for Aleksandr Benga Facebook page organiser, Doreen Culley, said: “They have worked solidly for three days, starting at first light and only stopping when the light was gone.
“Sadly, on this occasion, we were unsuccessful in bringing Aleksandr home to Viktoria (his mother).
“But the team’s findings have ruled out many hypotheses, theories, and gossip about where Aleksandr is.
“Being able to rule out many acres and analyzing dog reactions and search team observations of the environment enables the likely location of Aleksandr to be narrowed further.
“Our main focus has always been to allow Viktoria to control what we do and how we do it, and with this in mind, the team met with her today (Sunday) and will be returning to the island to continue the search in the very near future.
“A comprehensive report of the search will be completed this week and made available to the police and island search and rescue.
“The search for Aleksandr is not over. It continues.”
A GoFundMe page to pay for the search has so far raised more than £8,500.
Aleksandr is described as 6ft 2in tall and of slim build, with short brown hair.
When last seen, he was wearing a beige jumper and black jeans.
He may also have a red jacket and a yellow beanie hat.
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