A missing 15-year-old girl has been murdered and her body dumped in bushes in Clydebank.

A murder hunt has been launched after the body of schoolgirl Paige Doherty was found near a busy road on Monday.

Paige Doherty left a friend’s house in Angus Street, Clydebank, to make her way to work at around 8.15am on Saturday and was last seen at a roll shop just minutes later before disappearing.

Paige was due at Street Image Hairdressers in Kirkintilloch, however she did not arrive there and police launched a major search and public appeal after she was reported missing.

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A body was then discovered near Goals Sports Complex at around 12.45pm on Monday just off Great Western Road in Clydebank. Police confirmed the body as that of the missing teenager.

Detective superintendent Duncan Sloan confirmed at a media conference on Tuesday that Paige’s death was being treated as murder.

He said that officers are trying to piece together Paige’s movements between 8.20am on Saturday and the discovery of her body at 1pm on Monday.

Paige’s mother Pamela Munro issued a statement on behalf of her and her partner, Paige’s stepfather, Andy Munro, on her Facebook page.

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She said: “Myself and Andy Munro would like to thank everyone for their support and help in trying to find our daughter. Unfortunately we can confirm that it is our beautiful girl Paige who was found in Clydebank.

“Again thank u for all ur support. I am seeing everyone’s messages but understandably we’ve a lot on our minds n can’t reply. We are absolutely devastated, as will many people who know her will be xxx”

DSI Sloan added that at this stage officers were not ruling out any motive or that someone Paige knew may have been involved in her murder.

He said they are also looking into Paige’s lifestyle as part of murder investigation and revealed she had the “support of her family and friends” while she was “positive about life”.

She had a “plan for for her own future” and had arranged a work placement at the hairdressers, according to the senior officer.

Tent: Forensics tent where body was found in Clydebank. SWNS

A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Tuesday to establish the exact circumstances surrounding Paige’s disappearance but they are treating her death as murder.

After leaving her friend’s house, she walked down Wood Quadrant Lane and went to Delicious Deli on Fleming Avenue, a few minutes from the bus stop she normally waited at before heading to work.

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Officers are trying to piece together her movements after leaving the deli on Saturday morning.

Her body was found just one mile from her home in bushes near Goals Soccer Centre on Great Western Road.

Detectives have cordoned off a large swathe of land and a forensic team scoured the area.

Police: Officers cordon off area where body was discovered. SWNS

The hairdressers where Paige worked also paid tribute to her. They wrote on Facebook: “It is still unbelievable that I am writing these words, my team and I are absolutely shattered with the loss of our junior Paige, a blessing to have in our lives.

“We cannot begin to imagine the pain Pamela and her family are feeling at this time. Thank you for all the kind words and messages we will pass them on Xx”

Laura Mason, chief education officer at West Dunbartonshire Council, said: “Paige was a bright and popular pupil with a good sense of humour.

“Our thoughts are with Paige’s family and friends, and we are doing everything we can to support our young people at this sad time.”