text: Shaun Ritchie, 20, was last seen with friends at a remote woodland area near Strichen on the night of Friday 31 October into the Saturday morning.
  Police Scotland said it had been one of the biggest ever search operations carried out by the force.
  There was no evidence, said the police, that he had been the victim of a crime.
  Insp Stewart Drummond said: "The searches carried out to locate Shaun have been extensive and also challenging due to the difficult terrain.
  "Items of Shaun's clothing were recovered as part of the early stages of the enquiry which would have placed him in the Greenburn area.
  "If Shaun has walked on from this area, as appears to be the case, we have no indication of the direction he has taken, which compounds further searches due to the size of terrain already searched."
  He explained:  "We have interviewed a number of people, including those who were with Shaun on the night he was last seen.
  "Although we will always keep an open mind as to the circumstances, there is no evidence to date which would indicate that Shaun has been a victim of any crime.
  "We understand this is a difficult time for Shaun's family who just want answers and not knowing where he is or what has happened to him is beyond frustration for them.
  "We are therefore again appealing for any information which may assist us in finding Shaun and ask people to come forward and contact Police Scotland."
  A CCTV image released earlier showed Mr Ritchie wearing dark grey skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, a grey hoodie and brown trainers.
target: Police investigating the disappearance of a Fraserbugh man have launched a fresh appeal for information six months after he was last seen.