No suggestion of criminality in disappearance of sisters say police

There is nothing to suggest criminality in relation to the disappearance of two sisters who have been missing for a week, police have said.

Officers are keeping an open mind about what has happened to Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, but they said there is no indication a third party was involved.

The sisters, both aged 32, were last seen on CCTV on Market Street at Victoria Bridge in Aberdeen at about 2.12am on Tuesday January 7.

They crossed the bridge and turned right on to a footpath next to the River Dee, heading in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.

One theory police are considering is that they somehow entered the water, and search efforts have been focusing on the River Dee and surrounding area.

Superintendent David Howieson said: “We’re trying to remain open minded in terms of what the wider circumstances may have been.

“What we know is that the behaviour of the sisters in the morning on which they disappeared is very out of character.

“We don’t really understand why they seem to have left their home address and walked to this area in a fairly direct line before the CCTV footage of them is exhausted.

“One of our theories has to be that they’ve entered the water for reasons unknown, and that’s why so much of our search activity is focused on the river, the river bank, and the harbour itself, but we’re not ruling out the fact that they may have left this area by means that we haven’t identified yet.”

He said there is nothing to suggest anything suspicious in relation to the sisters’ disappearance.

He said: “We’re remaining open minded, but we’re seven days into an inquiry with an enormous amount of inquiry carried out, and at the moment, there’s nothing we’ve found that suggests criminality or suspicious circumstances.

“They may have come to harm. That has to be a theory in terms of access to the river. But what we don’t have is any indication that a third party has been involved.”

He said there is nothing to suggest there were mental health concerns or any other concerns in relation to the sisters which might begin to explain what happened.

As part of the investigation, it has emerged that they were planning to move out the flat they rented.

Mr Howieson said: “There was an indication from the person from whom they rent a flat who had concerns that they left the flat and indicated they intended to move.

“So inquiries were carried out at the flat, and the circumstances that were found led to concern around their whereabouts, which was then important to the police.”

On Tuesday, police carried out an early morning operation where the sisters went missing a week on from their disappearance.

Officers spoke to pedestrians and motorists in the area to try and shed more light on their movements.

Extensive searches have been carried out in recent days, with the police helicopter, dog branch and the marine unit among the specialist resources involved.

Police said they are focusing on the River Dee as there is no evidence the women left the immediate area.

Police divers could be seen in the water in the Aberdeen harbour area on Tuesday, while officers are continuing to examine CCTV footage and carry out house-to-house inquiries.

The women, who are both described as white and of slim build with long, brown hair, are part of a set of triplets and are originally from Hungary.

Police Scotland said they have the support of police in their home country, who are liaising with the wider family.

Mr Howieson said police remain “extremely concerned” about the sisters and urged anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact police.

The sisters’ family released a statement on Monday appealing to anyone with any information that could help in the search to come forward.

“This has been a very worrying and upsetting time for our family,” the statement read.

“We are really worried about Eliza and Henrietta and all we want is for them to be found.

“If you think you might have any information which could help the police with finding Eliza and Henrietta, then please pass this on as quickly as you can.

“We appreciate all the support our family has been given over the past few days and we would like our privacy to be respected at this time.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0735 of January 7.

Published: 14/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub