Body Found on Scottish Beach One Week After 82-Year-Old Man Disappeared from Ferry

A week-long search for an 82-year-old Scottish man has taken a heartbreaking turn after a man’s body was discovered on a beach, leaving his family facing an agonizing wait for formal identification.

Jim Wither, from Johnstone in Renfrewshire, was reported missing on October 18, 2026, after he was believed to have fallen overboard from the MV Caledonian Isles, a passenger ferry travelling from Ardrossan to the Isle of Arran.

The incident was reported at approximately 8:30 p.m., triggering a major search-and-rescue operation. Coastguard helicopters, an aircraft, RNLI lifeboats and local rescue teams searched the surrounding waters, but no one was found. The operation was called off in the early hours of October 19.

Then, on Sunday, October 25, police received a report that a man’s body had been found in the Largs beach area of North Ayrshire, around a week after Wither’s disappearance.

Police Scotland confirmed that formal identification had not yet taken place, although the family of the missing pensioner had been informed of the discovery.

Authorities said the death was not being treated as suspicious and that a report would be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal, Scotland’s public prosecution authority.

The ferry operator, CalMac, confirmed that its company and the crew of the MV Caledonian Isles were assisting Police Scotland and HM Coastguard with the ongoing inquiry.

For a family who had spent days hoping for answers, the discovery marks a devastating development. However, until formal identification is completed, police have not officially confirmed that the body is Wither’s.

Sources: PEOPLE — Body Found Amid Search for Missing 82-Year-Old Man