THE PSNI says a crime is not suspected in relation to the disappearance of an elderly couple from Ballintoy Harbour in north Antrim last week.
Robin Wilson (74), a retired police officer, and his wife Margaret (73), from Newtownabbey on the outskirts of Belfast have not been seen since their car with its key in the ignition was discovered at the harbour on Friday morning.
Ms Wilson's brother Francis said the couple were inseparable and that they were like "lovebirds".
Police said they were maintaining an open mind on what might have happened the couple although there was no suspicion of a crime.
Their chief lines of inquiry, it is understood, is that the couple went missing as a result of a suicide pact or were washed out to sea by a freak wave during the stormy conditions of last week.
Sources said that the financial and personal affairs of Mr and Mrs Wilson were very recently put in order. The couple had also recently prepared wills, it is believed.
The couple's blue Citroen car was found at the end of the pier in Ballintoy on Friday. Money and personal effects of the couple were found in the vehicle, which may have been there since Wednesday. It is understood that the Wilsons were last in touch with family members on Wednesday.
Searches have been continuing since Friday for the couple, with a police helicopter involved over the weekend. Scuba divers, brought over from England, carried out searches yesterday while the shoreline area was also checked. The Coastguard, and police dog teams, and local mountain rescue members also participated.
Friends of the couple said the Wilsons were a very private, devoted couple. Mr Wilson had an interest in motorbikes while his wife loved gardening.
Locals said they were regular visitors to Ballintoy, which appeared to hold a special appeal for them.
Relations of the couple gathered at Ballintoy yesterday as the searches took place.
Ms Wilson's brother Francis Clayton (88) said they were a lovely couple, who were childhood sweethearts. "They were love birds, never away from one another," he told the BBC.
He said that less than three weeks ago he and Mrs Wilson buried a sister. Since then she had been feeling very depressed.
Mr Clayton feared the Wilsons had been lost to the "cruel sea".
Detectives have appealed for anyone who may have seen the couple to contact them.
