A man who was found dead in a nature reserve was subjected to a "sustained and brutal" attack.

The body of Steven Donaldson, 27, was discovered by a member of the public at the Loch of Kinnordy nature reserve, Kirriemuir, at 5am on Thursday.

Detective Superintendent Jim Smith said the victim travelled from his home in Arbroath, Angus to Kirriemuir on Wednesday evening.

He was driving his white BMW 1 series, with the private registration S73 VED.

Detective Superintendent Jim Smith, of the Major Investigation Team, said: "A post-mortem examination has established that Steven was the victim of a brutal and sustained attack.

"His attacker(s) must be traced as a matter of urgency and I urge the public to assist me with this investigation, to find who was responsible."

Officers are reviewing CCTV footage and conducting door-to-door inquiries in a bid to map Mr Donaldson's final movements.

Motorists and members of the public were also been stopped and spoken to on the B951 Kirriemuir to Kirkton of Kingoldrum road on Thursday evening.

He added: "I would urge anyone who was in the area between 5pm on Tuesday 5 June and 5am on Thursday 7 June to contact police as soon as possible as you may have information which can assist our inquiries."

Police also sought to reassure the local community.

Chief Inspector David McIntosh, Local Area Commander for Angus, said: "This incident will undoubtedly shock the local community of Kirriemuir and wider area but I want to assure the public that crimes of this nature are very rare in Angus and everything is been done to find out who was responsible for the death of Steven.

'We are carrying out high visibility patrols in the area and if you have any information that can assist our investigation, please speak to one of these officers or call Police Scotland on 101.

"Alternatively if you have any information about the incident you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their Anonymous Online Form via the website.

Anyone with information is also asked to contact the dedicated email: operationreduce@scotland.pnn.police.uk