Police have confirmed that a body discovered in Scotland is that of missing teenager Liam Smith.
The 16-year-old from Aberdeen was last seen on November 17, after boarding a bus that was headed for Banchory in Aberdeenshire.
Police found the body in a remote wooded area south of Banchory on Friday and his death is not being treated as suspicious.
On behalf of Liam's family, his mother Alix released the following statement through Police Scotland: "While we never gave up hope of finding Liam, we were realistic about the challenges facing us. Our hearts are broken.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in the search for Liam including members of the public who took it upon themselves to help.
"Thank you also to everyone who has left messages of support which have provided us with comfort at extremely difficult times.
Man charged after homeless woman, 78, brutally beaten on New York subway train
"At this most difficult time of all, we would ask for privacy as we try to come to terms with our enormous loss."
Liam's family said the teenager "wasn't feeling himself" before he disappeared.
CCTV footage showed Liam buying Lucozade, Jaffa Cakes and Dairy Milk at Sainsbury's before he boarded a 202 Stagecoach Bus at Aberdeen's Union Square at 1.11pm.
Police believe he may have got off the bus at Crathes and concentrated their search around that area.
A major search operation was launched in the surrounding areas including police helicopters and a Dive Marine Unit.
Man killed in house fire had been stabbed in heart on night of blaze
Mountain rescue teams were also drafted in to comb the River Dee, while cops appealed for drivers with dashcam footage to come forward in a desperate bit to trace the lad.
Geordie Shore star Scotty T helped share the appeal to try and find the teenager, as did Scotland manager Alex McLeish.
In December cops released video footage filmed from their helicopter showing the vast rural area they were searching.
If you need to speak to someone, Samaritans are available 24/7 by calling 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org
