A BODY has been found in the search for a missing woman who has links with the Kendal and Eden area.

A hunt was launched in the Edinburgh area for Sophia Airey, 29, a former pupil of Kirkbie Kendal School, after she failed to return to her home in the Scottish capital on Wednesday, December 19.

Officers discovered her car at Hawes Pier car park in South Queensferry to the west of the city, close to the Forth Bridge, and coastguard teams and an emergency helicopter joined the search at the waterfront.

And police confirmed that a member of the public contacted officers after discovering a body at around 9.45am on the morning of Saturday, December 22.

Although formal identification has not taken place, Sophia’s family have been informed of the discovery and will be kept fully updated with the progress of the inquiry.

Sophia's father Andy Airey, who lives in the Eden Valley, had made an emotional appeal for help in finding his daughter, who at the time of her disappearance was living in the Leith area of Edinburgh.

Her mother Georgina said: "She was so talented and beautiful. The whole family are devastated."