Forty-strong team hunting murderer of Elgin woman Kiesha Donaghy (32) as officers seek to reassure public
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A FORTY-STRONG team of police officers are working to find the person who violently murdered a 32-year-old Elgin mum.
Mother-of-two Kiesha Donaghy was found dead in the Anderson Drive area of Elgin at around 7.20pm on Thursday, November 16. She was last seen on Wednesday, November 15.
Post-mortem results have shown that she suffered a "violent" attack in which she sustained head injuries.
Detective Superintendent Lorna Ferguson told media at Bucksburn Police Station, in Aberdeen, that there is no suspect for the murder, but that a team of 40 are doing "extensive" work to find the culprit.
"I don't have a suspect at the minute, but we have got a dedicated team working on this," DS Ferguson said. "I've got over 40 officers working in Elgin from major crime investigation, local CID (criminal investigation department) and local policing.
"We have got a team working on this and a thorough investigation has been carried out. We have spoken to neighbours who have been extremely helpful and furnished us with information that we are progressing as part of the investigation.
"I have absolutely no doubt that in the fullness of time, through witnesses, CCTV and the specialist resources that we have, we will catch them."
DS Ferguson added that it is "impossible to tell just now" if the killer was known to Kiesha.
She added that there is "no information to suggest" a further risk to the public, but she was keeping an "open mind".
Reassurance patrols are being carried out by uniformed police officers in Elgin. These are set to continue for a few days.
DS Ferguson said she understands the "significant" impact that the death has had on people locally – most of all on Kiesha's family and friends, who are being supported.
"Incidents such as this are thankfully extremely rare," she said. "We understand that Kiesha's death has had a significant impact on the local community in Elgin and across Moray.
"This is, of course, most felt by her family and we are providing them with specialist support as our investigation continues.
"Elgin is a small, tight-knit community and thankfully this doesn't happen often. There are obviously real concerns and I can understand that – it will have a significant impact on the people.
"Through our local policing teams and through work with Aberdeen Division, we have got uniformed officers who are carrying out reassurance patrols in the town of Elgin.
"Any concerns that anyone has, please get in touch. It is an unusual incident. I've got no information to suggest that anybody else is at risk, but again, I'll remain open-minded on that.
"We hope this is a contained incident and we will catch the person responsible."
Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses to come forward – even with information they may consider insignificant.
"I would once again urge anyone who believes may have information which could help our investigation to come forward and speak to us," DS Ferguson added.
"Even if what you know feels insignificant it could be useful to our investigation so I would urge you to get in touch."
If anyone has any information, or concerns, officers on the scene can be approached. Alternatively, Police Scotland can be contacted on 101, quoting reference number 3250 of Thursday, November 16, 2023.
Alternatively information can be passed via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
