Today would have been Jenny Methven's 81st Birthday.

As the enquiry continues to trace her killer, the man leading the investigation said this would be a difficult day for her family and friends and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Some time during the day on Monday, February 20, Mrs Methven was the victim of a violent attack in the kitchen of the cottage at Kildinning Farm that she shared with her son.

She was left with fatal injuries to her head and body and was discovered by her son, David, at about 5.15pm that day.

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Gall said:

"It would have been Jenny’s birthday today which will understandably be a very sombre occasion for her son David, given the events of the last couple of weeks.

"When we spoke with him, he said he had memories of celebrating his mother’s birthday last year with family and friends. The day brings back happy memories but, understandably, today will also be a difficult day for David and everyone who knew Jenny."

Following days of meticulous forensic enquiry, Tayside Police search-trained officers today began work at the Methven's cottage. They will undertake a room-by-room physical search of the address with the aim of identifying anything that has not already been retrieved under earlier examination.

A harvest of CCTV continues with dedicated officers reviewing hour upon hour of coverage. Officers have widened the scope of this area of the enquiry to take in CCTV footage from areas out with Tayside. The aim is to identify any and all vehicles that travelled into and out of the region and speak with any drivers who have not already been interviewed.

Through their close liaison with the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), Tayside Police is speaking with the National Injuries Database that identifies and researches injuries that have been sustained in previous criminal incidents. The hope is that their expertise can help lead detectives to the identification of the weapon used to inflict the fatal wound upon Mrs Methven.

Liaison also continues with a behavioural investigator who can assist in building a profile of a criminal.

DCI Gall said:

"There are many strands to our investigations and many people working around the clock to try and identify the person responsible for Jenny’s death. But I cannot stress strongly enough that someone out there knows the truth and has crucial information that could help us to achieve our goal.

"I would ask them to come forward. Help us to find the truth as to how an elderly woman was so brutally murdered in her own home."  

There has been an excellent public response to appeals for information from the community of Forteviot, the wider Perth and Kinross community and beyond.

But there are still people and vehicles who we know were in the area on the day in question who we want to identify.

In particular, officers want to speak with the driver of a vehicle that Mrs Methven herself heard pull up to her home at about 10.30am on Monday.

They also want to identify and speak with the occupants of two white or light-coloured vehicles parked nose to tail in her drive at about 1.45pm that day. One of the vehicles was larger than the other and it is possible they were vans.

Rail commuters are asked to contact the Force if they saw anything suspicious from their carriage window as they travelled through the area on the nearby line. Anyone who passed through the area by train on the route between Dunblane and Perth between 7am and 5.30pm should call Tayside Police.

Again, police want to speak to the driver of that vehicle as they may have information useful to enquiries.

Tayside Police has a phone number dedicated to any enquiries that could assist the Janet Methven Murder Enquiry.

It is Perth (01738) 892925 and will direct callers straight to the Enquiry Team during normal office hours and to the Force Communications Centre outwith office hours.

People can also still contact the single non-emergency number 0300 111 2222, or speak to any officer.

Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers who are offering a £10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Mrs Methven’s murder.