Police hunting the killer of Rory Blackhall yesterday appealed for help in tracing five people, but they refused to confirm media reports that he was alive two days after his disappearance.

The plea came as a result of Thursday's reconstruction of the 11-year-old's last-known movements.

Rory failed to turn up at Meldrum Primary in Livingston, West Lothian, on Thursday last week. His body was found in nearby woodland three days later.

A post-mortem examination showed he had been asphyxiated.

More than a week after his disappearance, speculation continued to grow about what may have happened to him in the 76-hour gap between his disappearance and his body being found.

But police last night refused to confirm media reports that Rory was alive two days after he disappeared, branding it unhelpful speculation.

Earlier yesterday, detectives said they had received an encouraging public response after the re-enactment of the moment Rory was dropped off for school by his mother.

Officers want to speak to two scruffily-dressed men who are thought to be in their 30s. They were wearing denim jackets and jeans, and were carrying a can and a bottle of beer.

The day before Rory's disappearance, a father walking his children to school saw a man dressed in black and wearing a black deerstalker-type hat come out of the woods.

And last Saturday a dog walker noticed smoke coming from woods at 6.30am and saw a teenage boy and another male sitting around a campfire.

The teenager was wearing a vertical-striped shirt and fawn trousers. The male was wearing dark clothing and had short dark hair.

Detective Inspector Tom Martin said: "We are keen to trace all the people from these appeals.

"It is important that all these people come forward so we can establish if they saw anything that might help with trying to find Rory's killer."