The partner of missing dad Reece Rodger is still telling their four-year-old son 'daddy's gone fishing' six weeks after he vanished on a camping trip.
Reece, 28, was last seen on March 18 on the banks of Loch Rannoch, near Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire. Pals believed he had gone to bed at 11.30pm but there was no sign of the dad-of-two the next morning.
His partner Paula Airzee issued a heartfelt plea for members of the public to come forward with information so she can give their children, aged 4 and one, answers.
She said: "Six weeks on and I’m still telling our four-year-old daddy is fishing. He asks on a daily basis, 'Will it be today that daddy comes home?’.
"It’s getting so much harder, for him especially. He can’t comprehend why daddy’s been fishing for a long time.
"It feels like a lifetime. Each day becomes more difficult and puzzling. I'm pleading with anyone who has information, no matter how insignificant to come forward.
"If not for me, for our precious, innocent, sensitive, little boys who don’t want anything other than their daddy. Please help our innocent little boys get the answers they deserve."
She added: "Our lives have changed forever and all I want are answers to help us bring Reece home to allow us to have as normal a life as possible. We are broken."
Last month Paula told how she believes Reece may have been seen walking on the B846, a road that runs alongside the loch, in the hours after he disappeared.
She said: "We understand that a person who was travelling on that road stopped after spotting a person on that road at 11.30pm.
"The driver got out of the car to help but, by that time, the individual had unfortunately disappeared from view. The man was a male and was wearing black clothing matching what Reece was wearing that evening."
Police Scotland has suspended its own searches for Reece after dog units, divers and air support failed to produce any new leads. The force said its efforts had been "extensive and rigorous".
A missing persons investigation remains underway but despite numerous appeals and reported sightings, no further information has come to light.
Thousands of people have joined a public Facebook group dedicated to tracking the dad-of-two down.
Paula said she did not believe Reece was troubled at the time of his disappearance, adding that she had spoken to him while he was on the trip and that he was in "good spirits".
Reece is described as 6ft, of medium build with dark hair. When last seen he was wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt with distinctive white letters on both sleeves spelling out MA STRUM, black jogging bottoms and black wellington boots.
Police are continuing to appeal to anyone who may have seen anyone matching his description to get in touch. Information can be given to Police Scotland by calling 101, quoting reference number 1348 of Sunday March 19.
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