The mum of a Glasgow teenager who was found half-naked on marshland two weeks after he went missing has called for changes to the way unexplained deaths are treated by police.
Rhys Bonner was reported missing on July 24, 2019, after he told his mum he was going to a McDonald's.
The 19-year-old's body was discovered on land between Easterhouse and Gartloch Village on August 8. His death was ruled as 'unascertained' and no criminality was established.
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His heartbroken mum Stephanie Bonner gave evidence in front of the Scottish Government's Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee on Wednesday where she called for more support for families who have lost a loved one in unexplained circumstances.
In an emotional address, Stephanie said: "I am a mum from a housing scheme, I'm a wee mammy from Balornock. I'm not accustomed to talking to politicians, especially in such surroundings.
"I want to connect with you and share my pain of the void left when a child or loved one dies and there is no explanation.
"After the initial shock, I felt like I had been struck in the heart with a bow and arrow. The first question you ask is what happened but imagine there was no explanation.
"This is what the families face when they lose their loved one to an unexplained death, you cannot move on, you're left thinking about every possible scenario for weeks, months, and years to come.
"The police have at least two different sets of coordinates of where Rhys' body was found. I went to lay flowers at one I was given only to be told by local people that I was in the wrong location. I wanted to see where my son died, and where he took his last breath.
"When a body is initially discovered and the police didn't know a cause of death, a reasonable level of evidence should be secured if they are no obvious signs of criminality. This way the police can go back after toxicology and pathology findings are available.
"The basics like door-to-door enquires should never have been missed. The window of time between when a body is discovered and a theory is formed and a decision is made must be looked at and improved.
"It's better to gather evidence and not use it than have none and lose it.
"Postcode policing has to be addressed. Every life matters regardless of what the postcode is - until the police accept this as a problem it will never be addressed."
Speaking to members of the panel, Stephanie outlined that her family was never given a police liaison officer to keep them up to date with the progress of the missing person's enquiry.
During the 15 days when Rhys was missing, Stephanie claimed the family was only given a call at 10pm to update them every two days by an officer. The mum told how on one occasion a CID attended the house wearing a bulletproof vest leaving her "scared".
She called for more empathy for families left in the dark over what has happened to their loved one and recalled being met with a "wall of silence" following Rhys' death.
She continued: "Rhys went missing on July 24, his half-naked body was discovered on August 8. Items of his clothing were scattered and missing.
"Police Scotland closed the investigation on Monday, August 12, 4 days later but one full working day. I think this speaks volumes.
"My son's life was worth one full working day to Police Scotland.
"It was categorised as a missing person found with no suspicious circumstances. My family and I were left to carry out door-to-door enquiries and find out Rhys's final movements. We were also left to trace CCTV from local sources.
"We discovered CCTV footage of his body being dragged across open land in broad daylight by police, the length of two football yards. I will never forget seeing these images. They didn't try to prevent the public from filming.
"When a body is initially discovered there is an important window of time where important decisions are made. If the police can't establish criminality they have to form a theory on what they see at the time of the scene, what evidence is clear, and what the circumstances seem to be, without post-mortem or toxicology.
"The investigation was closed before Rhys was formally identified.
"I believe that postcodes play a significant factor and what's going on at the time
"I will never know for certain what happened or be able to prove what happened. This is the conclusion I have to live with every second. This is what happens when death is unexplained and not fully investigated.
"The impact of an unexplained death on families is soul destroying."
Stephanie paid tribute to community activist Alex O'Kane who has been campaigning for justice for the family since 2019.
We reported in December 2022 how the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) ordered Police Scotland to have another look at how they handled formal complaints made by the family following the review.
Out of the 26 complaints made, four were found to have not been dealt with to a reasonable standard. These include the incorrect coordinates for where Rhys's remains were discovered being given to the family and officers failing to facilitate a site visit.
Officers also expected the family to 'find the location themselves' after they were handed a map.
A further complaint upheld by PIRC stated that Police Scotland failed to investigate Rhys's final movements, leading to his family conducting their own enquiries.
Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland, divisional commander for Greater Glasgow, said: "The loss of a loved one has a devastating impact on families and our focus is always on providing them with the individual support needed, regardless of where they are or their circumstances.
"Rhys Bonner's family were provided with a dedicated officer as their specific point of contact when he was reported missing to provide this support and update them on the investigation.
"Following complaints from the family about Police Scotland's handling of the case, an offer was made to meet with Stephanie Bonner by our Professional Standards Department and that offer remains open.
"We received a Complaint Handling Review from the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner on Wednesday, 30 November, 2022 which looked at how we dealt with the family’s complaints and four recommendations are being addressed."
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