Bodies recovered from river in Scotland confirmed as missing sisters

11 February 2025, 15:30 | Updated: 11 February 2025, 16:00

Two bodies recovered from the River Dee have been identified as the missing sisters Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, who disappeared in Aberdeen, Police Scotland has confirmed.

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

The women were seen crossing the bridge and turning right on to a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.

A woman's body was recovered from the river near Queen Elizabeth Bridge just before 8am on Friday January 31 before the body of a second woman was found in an area of the river near to the Victoria Bridge at around 9.05pm that day.

Police said at the time that formal identification was yet to take place but they had informed the respective families.

The force said they have now been formally identified and there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances.

The siblings' disappearance sparked a major Police Scotland operation, with the force's extensive searches of the River Dee coming to an end three weeks later.

Superintendent David Howieson said: "The two bodies recovered from the River Dee on Friday, 31 January, 2025 have now been formally identified as Henrietta and Eliza Huszti who were reported missing on Tuesday, 7 January, 2025.

"Inquiries remain ongoing to establish the exact cause of death however there are no apparent suspicious circumstances."

Officers are now appealing for anyone who may have seen the sisters at this earlier time to come forward.

The sisters, part of a set of triplets, had made an earlier visit to the bridge where they were last seen hours before they disappeared, CCTV footage previously revealed.

Police Scotland said a text message was also sent to the women's landlady on the morning they vanished, indicating they would not be returning to the flat.

Their landlady reported her concerns to police and a major search was launched, amid fears for their safety in wintry weather conditions.

Read more: Heartbroken father of sisters found dead in River Dee believes they were 'lured to their death'

Read more: Second body found in river during search for missing sisters who disappeared in Aberdeen last month

The sisters, who moved to Scotland from Hungary a decade ago, had not told relatives they were going to move out of their rented flat immediately.

Their brother, Jozsef, previously told the BBC: "They wrote a message to their landlady that they wanted to immediately end their tenancy agreement. We didn't have any information about that.

"So that's the strange thing, that the girls didn't tell us anything about that.

"They never mentioned any such plan."

Superintendent David Howieson said: "We have carried out a significant trawl of public and private CCTV footage as we try to establish the sisters' movements.

"We have had a positive response from the public to our appeals and I would like to thank everyone who has already come forward.

"I would again urge anyone with any information which could help find Eliza and Henrietta to get in touch.

"We remain in regular contact with Eliza and Henrietta's family in Hungary and we will continue to provide them with support at this very difficult time.

"Searches will continue in the coming days and our officers will continue to do everything they can to find Eliza and Henrietta."