Alice Byrne: what we know so far in search for missing Edinburgh woman last seen on New Year’s Day

Police have issued an update after a search was conducted for a missing 28-year-old woman who was last seen in Edinburgh on New Year’s Day.

Alice Byrne was reported missing after last being spotted leaving a New Year’s party on the morning of 1 January and heading towards Portobello Beach to the east of the capital.

After an extensive search, police have now said that they believed she “entered the water alone”, however Alice has not yet been found.

When was Alice last seen?

Alice was last seen by her family at her home on Saturday 1 January at around 2am, before she left to meet friends at a flat on Marlborough Street in the Portobello area of the city.

It is believed that Alice left the flat between 8am and 10am on the morning of 1 January, with police believing that she may have headed in direction of the promenade.

Anyone in the area who may have seen Alice at this time or have any CCTV, dashcam footage of photographs from the Portobello area at this time are being asked to check their images for any sightings of Alice.

She is described as white, around 5ft 6in tall, of medium build with short black hair.

Alice was last seen wearing a long black t-shirt, black jeans and white trainers and it has also been reported that she has a distinctive bat tattoo on her left wrist.

What have the police said?

Police have issued a statement which said that Alice was likely to have “entered the water alone” on the morning of her disappearance.

However, they also confirmed that Alice has not yet been found, and officers are working to keep her family updated and supported.

The statement read: “Extensive enquiries have been carried out as part of our efforts to trace 28-year-old Alice Byrne, including house to house enquiries, CCTV reviews and detailed searches in the local area.

“Alice was last seen leaving a friend’s flat in Marlborough Street, Edinburgh, on the morning of Saturday, 1 January, 2022, and walking towards the promenade and beach.”

“Our enquiries have subsequently indicated that Alice entered the water alone on the morning she went missing.

“Efforts to trace her continue and officers are providing support and updates to Alice’s family.”

What have her family said?

Previously, Alice’s family issued a heartfelt plea for her to return home after releasing a statement on the week anniversary of her disappearance.

They said: “Alice has been missing for one week now and we are shocked and distressed by her disappearance. She always keeps in contact with us so we are extremely worried because we have not heard from her. We are desperate to know where she is.

“If Alice sees this, we want her to know how much we miss her. We just want her home safe and well.

“We urge anyone who has seen Alice, or who has any information at all that might help police find her to phone officers and pass on any information you have.

“We are very grateful for the support we have received during this upsetting time. We would like to thank everyone who has shared appeals to find her, the police for their professionalism and especially the local community for all the support they’ve given.”

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