A fresh search operation is underway in Edinburgh for missing mum-of-three Khasha Smith ten months after her disappearance.
Officers from Police Scotland fear the 36-year-old “may have come to harm” and are conducting a search near her home in the Calder Grove area of the capital.
An investigative team and specialist search advisors are currently on the scene as they attempt to trace Khasha after she was reported missing by her family on January 5.
Khasha was last seen safe and well during a Facetime call with a friend on October 10, 2023. She is believed to have made contact with her loved ones between November 1 and 4 before being formally reported missing.
Detective Chief Inspector Bob Williamson says police are following “several lines of enquiry” into her disappearance.
Ahead of the search today, Williamson said: “We continue to follow up several lines of enquiry and are working to find answers for Khasha’s family. As with every missing person inquiry, all aspects of Khasha’s life have, and continue to be explored.
“We know she would never miss events such as her daughter’s birthday and Christmas and we have to consider the possibility that she may have come to harm. We remain open minded and are doing everything we can to find her.”
Officers have conducted multiple searches in and around Khasha’s Calder Grove home but no sign of her has been found. Specialist divers have also trawled the Union Canal while officers scoured metal containers near her flat.
The last major update from the investigation was in March when her brave teenager daughter Calley appealed directly to the public, alongside her grandmother, to help bring her mum home. The 18-year-old said described how she was “living the worst dream”.
She said: “I recently had my 18th birthday and didn’t hear anything from my mum. She would never miss my birthday, my sisters’ birthdays, or Christmas.
“It’s just not her. We miss her so much. We want nothing more than my mum to walk through the door and to be able to give her a massive hug. It feels like I’m living the worst dream I could ever imagine.
“I can’t express what it would mean to have my mum home. Even the smallest piece of information might be all we need to find her. So I’m asking anyone with any information – please come forward and help the police bring my mum home for me, my sisters and the rest of the family.”
Kasha’s mum Nicola Neil, also said in March: “Khasha is a brilliant mum to her three children and is loved by all our very close family. We are all sick with worry. Khasha is my friend as well as my daughter and we are living a nightmare. It’s hard to find the words to explain the “not knowing” where she is and if anything has happened to her.
“These past few weeks have been horrendous and painful for us all. I would ask anyone out there – even if we don’t know you – please come forward if you know anything at all.”
Khasha’s family have since continued to appeal on social media for information, asking people to “speak up”.
Khasha is around 5ft tall, with a slim build. She has blue eyes and long, blonde hair. She also has tattoos, one which is visible on her right wrist and says ‘Forever’. She has never gone missing before.
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3915 of 5 January 2024.
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