The search for missing Aberdeen woman Kelli Ferris has been called off more than four weeks after she vanished.
Police have brought to an end their extensive land hunt for the 40-year-old, who was last seen on September 10.
Detective Superintendent Mark Cooper stressed the missing persons investigation was still open but confirmed that physical searches had ceased.
No trace of Ms Ferris, nor any of her belongings, has been found, despite the use of trained dogs, helicopters and the expertise of about 40 officers.
A taxi driver was the last person to see the missing woman alive when he dropped her off close to the beach around 8.40pm.
Det Supt Cooper said it could not be ruled out that she had gone into the sea.
He said: “We have got no evidence that Kelli is in the water but in the absence of information that she is elsewhere, it has to be a consideration.
“She did ask the taxi driver to take her to the beach. We don’t know what her reason was behind that. It is a concern.”
Ms Ferris had been in poor health at the time she vanished and had spent about 10 weeks in hospital over the summer.
She was known to have been highly intoxicated on the day she disappeared and withdrew hundreds of pounds from her bank that morning.
Ms Ferris was captured on CCTV at Castlegate around 2.20pm, before making her way to Marischal Court flats, where she banged on several doors then fell asleep in the foyer for a couple of hours.
For several days, police were unable to trace her whereabouts thereafter but staff at La Lombarda Italian restaurant remembered she had bought some takeaway food around 6.40pm.
The next known movement was the taxi journey to the beach.
It is understood CCTV images showed Ms Ferris on the upper promenade, either heading to Footdee or towards Burger King.
Det Supt Cooper added: “I cannot rule out that she went onto the lower promenade or the beach itself.”
He said Ms Ferris’s mother had been told no further searches would be carried out unless new information was received, and added that CCTV pictures and potential sightings from the public were still being examined.