Body found on Largs beach in search for missing ferry passenger

A body has been found on a beach in Largs during the search for a man who fell overboard from a CalMac ferry, Police Scotland said on Sunday. Formal identification has yet to take place, but the family of 82-year-old Jim Wither, who was reported missing from Johnstone, have been informed.
Wither was on a vessel bound for Arran when he fell into the water, and a search was launched before being called off. The discovery was made on Sunday morning, 25 October, as stormy conditions hit the Ayrshire town. Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.
What police have confirmed
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "On Sunday, 25 October, 2026, we received a report of the body of a man having been found in the Largs beach area. Formal identification is yet to take place, however the family of 82-year-old Jim Wither, who was reported missing from Johnstone, have been informed."
Because formal identification is still pending, the body has not been officially confirmed as Wither, and this report does not present it as confirmed. The police statement is the only official account so far, and further detail is expected once identification is complete. Largs itself was badly affected by Storm Boelo on Sunday, with coastal flooding reported in the town, but police have not linked the death to the storm.
Source: The Scottish Sun, 25 October 2026, reporting the Police Scotland statement.