A missing Edinburgh woman "entered the water alone" the morning she disappeared, police have said.
Alice Byrne, 28, had been last seen leaving a friend’s flat in Marlborough Street, Edinburgh on New Year's day.
Now police say they believe Ms Byrne entered the water alone after walking towards the promenade and beach in the capital the same day.
A statement from the force said: "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."
Extensive searches have been ongoing over the course of the last six weeks since Alice was reported missing, including a police drone flying over Portobello beach.
Ms Byrne's brother Alexander said. thelatest update was "devastating".
Writing in the Find Alice Byrne Facebook group, he wrote: "Firstly, thank you to all the family, friends, neighbours and strangers who've supported us and helped spread the message about Alice. You'll never know what this means to us.
"We've been astounded by the support and motivation to help, from all across the world. That means a lot to us. We know that Alice was loved that people really do care and wanted to help us find her. We also know that the police have followed up on every lead reported and every potential sighting.
"Sadly, based on a range of evidence, we believe that Alice entered the water alone on the first of January. There is no evidence to suggest she left the water and there is no suspicion of any criminality. As you'd expect we are all devastated. We're aware that this will raise a lot of questions however we will not be giving any more detail at this time.
"Finally, we ask that people please respect our family's privacy. There is a lot to deal with and we don't want to be fielding questions. Thank you all."
He added: "Secondly, a thanks to the police who have been professional and supportive from the very beginning of all this.
“They do far, far more than people realise, and we have full confidence in everything they've done. Their investigation is ongoing, and they continue to support us.”
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