Friends and colleagues have spoken of their shock and devastation after the death of Aberdeen mum Jill Barclay, who died while walking home from a night out.
The 47-year-old’s body was discovered on fire near a property opposite the roundabout at Dyce’s Stoneywood Road and Victoria Street, around 3.30am on Saturday September 17.
Police and firefighters made the grim discovery after being called out to the scene of a blaze that quickly became the focus of an ongoing murder inquiry.
Jill, who has a six-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter, was last seen leaving Spider’s Web pub on Station Road in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A 22-year-old man was arrested elsewhere in Scotland, not believed to be in Aberdeen, and has been charged with her murder.
He’s due to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Tuesday September 20.
Investigators were seen on Monday morning wearing forensic gloves while walking through Dyce Community Garden and searching bins along Victoria Street.
Detectives have also collected CCTV footage from the BP garage on Wellheads Road, the Marriot Hotel opposite, and from the pub, which the former Hazlehead Academy pupil visited before her death.
Tributes have been flooding in as news of Jill’s tragic death spread through the city.
Vicky Lawrie described her lifelong friend as a “diamond”.
She commented on Facebook: “Absolutely devastated. Known Jill for over 25 years. Beautiful inside and out and always smiling.
“So many memories. Truly heartbroken.”
Ehsan Kian, who worked with the proposals engineer at the oil and gas firm Petrofac, said she was a “lovely person”.
In a Facebook post, he added: “All of her colleagues are so devastated. I spoke with her last week, can’t believe she’s gone now”.
The energy firm’s chief operating officer Nick Shorten said it was a “heartbreaking” time for everyone who knew her.
He told the Press and Journal: “Jill was a much loved and respected member of Petrofac’s team here in Aberdeen.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her children, partner, and wider family at this truly heartbreaking time. We will do everything we can to support them.”
A crowdfunding gofundme page has been set up for donations to help the Barclay family with funeral costs.
It was set up by school mums Claire Carstairs and Gillian Gove, who were both friends of Jill and whose children are close friends with Jill’s.
On the gofundme page they said: “Jill was a much-loved partner, daughter, a parent-of-two, the best friend, a kickboxing ninja, a raver – a human with a heart of gold and true to the core.
“In light of Jill, she loved to party, when we have hit our milestone target we will have a – “Rave it like your Jill” event here in Stoneywood.
“In this dark time let’s come together as one as a community and raise as much funds as we possibly can for her beautiful family.”
The gofundme page has taken more than £2,500 from almost 150 donations – surpassing the £1,500 target.
One of the donors, Rachel Reilly posted: “Your smile spread a lot of happiness wherever you went. A warm, beautiful and kind lady.”
And Endurance Kickboxing, where Jill would regularly train, also posted a tribute on their Facebook page: “Please keep her family and wonderful children in your thoughts.
We all love and miss you very much.”
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