The sister of a missing Perth pastor who was last seen more than two years ago believes her brother is still alive.
Peter Edwards, an associate pastor at the Perth Christian Fellowship, has not been seen since getting off a Stagecoach bus on Barclay Street, Stonehaven, at around 3.20pm on November 1 2016.
Next week will mark 30 months since the last sighting of Mr Edwards but Chloe Bornstein said she has not given up hope of seeing her brother again.
She said: “A family with a missing loved one never gives up hope.”
Ms Bornstein told The Press and Journal she believes her brother is still alive and may have been picked up by a stranger when he left the Stagecoach bus.
CCTV footage shows the pastor boarding the Stagecoach X7 in Stonehaven at 3.20 pm on the day he went missing and he was spotted boarding the same vehicle in Aberdeen at 2pm the same day.
Prior to that, he was seen on CCTV getting off a number seven bus in Glasgow Road, Perth, at 7.43am.
In January 2017 it was reported the search for Mr Edwards had “gone cold” but police continue to seek leads on the mysterious disappearance which was described by officers at the time as totally “out of character”.
Ms Bornstein claims that her brother’s case is part of an “epidemic” in the growing number of missing people.
The latest figures from Police Scotland show that nearly 1,000 people were reported missing over 2017/18 and 2018/19 in Perth and Kinross.
In 2017/18 there were 463 people reported missing within the local authority and 461 people have been reported missing up until the end of the the third quarter of 2018/19.
Ms Bornstein said: “Nothing surprises me any more about the missing – the numbers have been growing everywhere.
“I never knew, or even thought about it, until this happened to us.
“It’s an epidemic, especially with young people today.”
When last seen, Mr Edwards was described as being about five feet 10 inches in height, of slim build, with receding hair and a bald head, and had a full white beard.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts should phone the police on 101 or alternatively contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
