Aberfeldy murder victim Brian Low died from 'shotgun wounds to chest and neck'

A man whose death was at first ruled not suspicious by police died from horror shotgun wounds to his neck and chest, it has emerged.

Brian Low, 65, was gunned down near his home in Aberfeldy in a horror incident which officers initially did not treat as murder. It prompted an internal probe by police watchdogs - and now Low's death certificate has revealed he suffered fatal wounds to his neck and chest.

Official paperwork has been lodged with Perth and Kinross Council stating the cause of death. The tragic details emerged after Low's body was discovered on a remote track in Pitillie on the outskirts of the Perthsire town on Saturday, February 17.

The death was initially deemed to have been medical-related and not suspicious, but police confirmed four days later he had been fatally shot. A subsequent post-mortem on Friday, February 23, sparked a murder probe.

Police Scotland Detective Chief Inspector Martin Macdougall faced questions over why a post mortem examination took six days and how a gunshot wound was initially missed.

Macdougall said while “criminality” was only established on February 23, there were “concerns around the injury” which were raised two days earlier.

The force also said the “initial assessment was that of a non-suspicious and medical death” but it had later “been established to be a murder”.

The Police Investigation and Review Commissioner (PIRC) later confirmed an investigation into how cops handled the case was underway.

A spokesman for PIRC said: “On March 1 2024, PIRC was directed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a 65 year-old man discovered near Aberfeldy on 17 February 2024.

“Once the investigation is concluded, a report on our findings will be submitted to the COPFS.”

Low worked at Edradynate Estate prior to taking retirement around a year ago and was described as a “much-liked and well-respected” colleague. However police said there is no evidence to suggest he was involved in any form of criminality or subjected to a targeted attack.

We previously revealed detectives had spoken to 145 people as part of their investigation as they attempted to hunt the killer. They stopped 118 vehicles and 18 pedestrians close to where Low was gunned down.

Detective Superintendent Lorna Ferguson said: "Somebody knows something. Even if you feel the information you hold is not important, we ask you to contact us."

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