The family of an Inverness women whose body was found near an Inverness beauty spot have spoken out for the first time about her death, issuing a touching statement through the police.
Charlotte Hornby, a former Fortrose Academy pupil, was found on Sunday evening in the Island Bank Road area, just a few hundred yards from her family’s flat in Dores Road.
They said: “Charlotte, daughter of Patricia and Harry Hornby and sister to Edward Hornby, was intelligent, outgoing and enjoyed a wide range of outdoor pursuits. She was ambitious, confident and made friends wherever she appeared.
“She was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire before moving to Fortrose with her parents in 1992.
“Charlotte was educated at Avoch Primary School, Fortrose Academy and subsequently graduated from St Andrews University with an MA in Geography 2:1 in 2011.
“Her sporting interests ranged through hill-walking – she ascended her first Munro, Slioch, aged just three – cycling, skiing, climbing, running, kayaking, horse-riding and latterly squash.
“Her thirst for adventure knew few bounds extending to the James Bond Black Ski Run in Switzerland, while her love of music extended to playing both the piano and guitar whilst attending popular music concerts and enjoying music wherever she was.
“She had a wide range of friends from Fortrose, St Andrews and Aberdeen where she lived whilst employed by SSE as an environmental advisor. Wherever she went her humour, sense of adventure and kindly nature built friendships that she actively maintained.
“Recently she was in the process of returning to the Highlands and was moving into a flat with her brother Edward. That exciting new stage in her life will not now be realised, and her potential lost to everyone who knew and worked with her.
“In 24 years, Charlotte has lived life to the full, filling every minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run. Her family can only be consoled in the knowledge she passed suddenly having achieved so much having left a smile on all our faces.”