The quiet beauty of Scotland’s Loch Lomond was shattered last month by a grisly discovery that has since gripped Glasgow and beyond. Graham Wright, a 38-year-old man from the city’s Gorbals area, was reported missing in late August 2025. Weeks later, his dismembered remains were found on the tranquil shores near Firkin Point, Loch Lomond, a location that would soon become the focal point of a sprawling police investigation and a headline-grabbing murder case.
According to BBC News and the Scottish Daily Express, the man at the center of these disturbing allegations is David McColl, a 50-year-old Glaswegian. Prosecutors allege that McColl attacked Wright with “sharply bladed and serrated instruments” at a flat in the Gorbals district between August 20 and September 13, 2025. Court documents further claim that McColl, by means still unknown to investigators, caused Wright to become “fatally injured.” The details only grow more harrowing. The prosecution asserts that McColl then “dismembered” and “disarticulated” Wright’s body—legal terms that, in this context, mean the victim’s limbs were amputated at the joints.
The case first came to light when Wright’s family reported him missing on August 25, having last seen him five days prior. The search for Wright quickly escalated into a full-scale investigation led by Police Scotland’s major investigation team. On September 13, partial remains were discovered at Loch Lomond, close to Firkin Point, a popular scenic spot about 30 miles from Glasgow. Forensic officers were immediately dispatched, sealing off not just the lakeshore but nine different locations across the region. Police cordoned off a Gorbals flat, combed through woods near Castlemilk’s Jenniburn Centre, and even searched the grounds of the disused Blairbeth golf club. Meanwhile, divers from the marine unit scoured the waters at Inverbeg, just south of where the remains were found, in a bid to recover further evidence.
The investigation’s breadth underscores the complexity and brutality of the alleged crime. According to The Sun, prosecutors believe McColl attempted to “defeat the ends of justice” by disposing of Wright’s body in secret, scattering the remains in a wooded area in Castlemilk as well as along Loch Lomond’s shoreline. This effort to conceal the crime, authorities say, is the basis for a second, separate charge against McColl. The accused also faces two counts of breaching bail conditions—an indication that he was already known to the justice system at the time of Wright’s disappearance.
At a private hearing in Glasgow Sheriff Court on October 10, 2025, McColl made no plea. He is expected to appear again before a sheriff within the next eight days, as the legal process continues to unfold. The gravity of the accusations and the shocking details of the case have sent ripples through the local community, where the memory of Wright—described in court documents as a Rangers fan—remains vivid among friends and family. Police Scotland has confirmed that Wright’s relatives have been informed of the developments and are being supported by specially trained officers during what must be an unimaginably difficult time.
The case does not end with McColl. Another man, John Roarty, 54, has also been charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice in relation to Wright’s death. Roarty appeared in Glasgow Sheriff Court last Thursday, October 2, and is due to return later this week. Details of his alleged involvement remain scant, but his appearance in court signals that investigators believe the effort to dispose of Wright’s body may have involved more than one person.
The facts of the case, as reported by the Scottish Daily Express, are chilling. Prosecutors allege that after Wright was fatally injured, McColl set about disposing of the evidence in a calculated manner. The body was not only dismembered but the parts were transported and scattered—some in the city’s Castlemilk district, others as far as 30 miles away near Tarbet, Argyll, on the banks of Loch Lomond. Forensic teams and police divers have spent weeks combing these areas, searching for clues, and piecing together the final movements of both victim and suspect. The investigation has been described as one of the largest in recent years for the region, involving multiple search teams, forensic specialists, and major crime detectives.
For those living in Glasgow and the surrounding areas, the case has been both shocking and unsettling. The Gorbals, a district with a storied past and a close-knit community, has found itself thrust into the national spotlight. Residents watched as police cordoned off familiar streets, forensic officers in protective suits combed through local woodland, and helicopters circled overhead. The sense of unease was palpable, with many expressing disbelief that such violence could unfold so close to home.
Legal experts note that the charges McColl faces are among the most serious in Scots law. Murder, of course, carries a mandatory life sentence upon conviction, but the additional charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice could add significant time to any potential sentence. Breaching bail conditions, while less severe, suggests a pattern of disregard for legal boundaries that prosecutors are likely to emphasize as the case progresses.
As for the investigation, Police Scotland has been tight-lipped about specific evidence, citing the ongoing nature of the case. However, the scale of the forensic operation and the number of locations searched indicate that detectives are working methodically to build a comprehensive picture of what happened to Graham Wright in those fateful days between August and September. The involvement of the police marine unit, in particular, points to the difficulties of recovering evidence in challenging terrain—Loch Lomond’s depths and wooded shores are not easily searched, and every clue must be painstakingly retrieved and analyzed.
While the case remains before the courts, the tragic death of Graham Wright has already left a mark on the communities of Glasgow and Argyll. His family continues to mourn, supported by police and community members alike. The legal process will play out in the coming weeks, with both McColl and Roarty due to reappear in court. As new details emerge and the trial proceeds, the hope among locals is that justice will be served and that the full story of what happened to Graham Wright will finally come to light.
For now, the shadow of this shocking crime lingers over Loch Lomond’s peaceful waters—a stark reminder that even the most serene landscapes can harbor the darkest secrets.