Two sisters who mysteriously vanished eight days ago had told their landlord they intended to end their tenancy the day before they went missing, police have said.
But officers investigating the disappearance of Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, 32, from Aberdeen said there was nothing to suggest they planned to leave the city and their lack of contact with family was ‘massively out of character’.
The sisters, who are part of a set of triplets, have not been seen since CCTV captured them walking on Victoria Bridge over the River Dee just after 2am last Tuesday.
They were then seen to turn right on to a narrow footpath along the riverbank towards Aberdeen Boat Club but failed to emerge on CCTV at the other end of the path.
But speaking from the scene yesterday Police Scotland Superintendent David Howieson said from extensive enquiries so far there was ‘nothing to suggest’ a third party was involved and stressed ‘this is not a criminal investigation, it’s a missing persons enquiry.’
He admitted that one of the strongest theories was that the sisters have by ‘reasons unknown’ ended up in the water. But he said officers were ‘keeping an open mind’.
He said: ‘There is nothing to indicate their intention to come here and enter the water, but that has to be a theory.
‘It was completely out of character for them both to be out at that time of the morning in Aberdeen but also for them to be in this area. We have no indication as to a connection with this area at all.’
He explained that the day before they vanished, their landlord had ‘received an indication from the sisters that they intended to leave the tenancy’.
Following this correspondence, the landlord visited the flat and when they became concerned that their personal belongings were left behind, they contacted the police.
Superintendent Howieson said: ‘There was no indication in the correspondence to suggest they intended to leave that day, simply that they intended to leave the tenancy. But it would appear that they have left that day and we are certain that they haven’t returned’.
The sisters are said to have taken ‘a fairly direct route’ through the city centre with CCTV capturing their journey, before the last sighting of them reaching the River Dee.
The women, who are described as white, slim, with long, brown hair, were dressed for the freezing conditions that morning and were in possession of ‘at least one mobile phone’ and a handbag.
But as specialist searches involving divers and police dogs entered their seventh day on and along the river bank, Superintendent Howieson conceded they ‘haven’t found any personal items that we think are linked to the missing sisters’.
He said: ‘It may be the case that if they have entered the water for reasons unknown those possessions have gone with them, but we simply don’t know at this point.’
He added: ‘We also know there were a number of personal effects in the flat that if they planned to go away for an extended period of time, we would have expected them to take with them.’
The sisters, who are originally from Hungary, had been in contact with family at the new year and were described as being ‘happy’ and ‘sociable’.
Superintendent Howieson said: ‘There was no reason for concern at all. This is massively out of character and that explains the level of concern everyone has.’
He said they were not ruling anything out but admitted: ‘One of the strongest theories we have is that for unknown reasons they have entered the water.
‘We can say with a high degree of confidence they have crossed the bridge and entered the path and a high degree of confidence they haven’t left the area by means captured on CCTV. But it’s not impossible and until it is impossible we will continue to investigate.’
The other side of the road from the path they were walking has high security fencing surrounding the industrial site.
But he said officers remained ‘open minded to the fact they may have left the area simply by means that we have been unable to evidence on CCTV’.
‘That wouldn’t be by the most obvious means, but it’s possible,’ he added.
Officers are carrying out door to door enquires in the wider vicinity to find out if anyone else may have seen them in the early hours.
CCTV also picked up audio but Superintendent Howieson said there was nothing to suggest the sisters were heard on it as it was a busy part of the city, even in the early hours.
Anyone who frequents the area regularly at that time is urged to contact police, not only if they think they have seen the sisters, but to give a description of ‘who is going around’ and ‘what it’s like at that time’ which may assist with the investigation.