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Corrie Mckeague: Missing airman search to be stood down | Corrie Mckeague: Missing airman search to be stood down |
(about 7 hours later) | |
There are "no realistic lines of inquiry left" in the investigation into the disappearance of RAF airman Corrie Mckeague, police have said. | There are "no realistic lines of inquiry left" in the investigation into the disappearance of RAF airman Corrie Mckeague, police have said. |
Mr Mckeague was 23 when he was last seen on 24 September 2016 walking into a bin loading bay in Bury St Edmunds. | Mr Mckeague was 23 when he was last seen on 24 September 2016 walking into a bin loading bay in Bury St Edmunds. |
Suffolk Police said the inquiry, which has cost £2.1m, had been handed to a cold case team but remained open. | Suffolk Police said the inquiry, which has cost £2.1m, had been handed to a cold case team but remained open. |
Det Supt Katie Elliott said: "It is extremely disappointing that we have not been able to find Corrie." | Det Supt Katie Elliott said: "It is extremely disappointing that we have not been able to find Corrie." |
"We have now reached a point where we are unable to make any further progress, and have gone as far as we realistically can with the information we have," she added. | "We have now reached a point where we are unable to make any further progress, and have gone as far as we realistically can with the information we have," she added. |
A police spokesman said the case had always been a missing persons investigation and there is no evidence of "criminal activity or third party involvement". | A police spokesman said the case had always been a missing persons investigation and there is no evidence of "criminal activity or third party involvement". |
Corrie's family will be devastated, but not surprised | |
By Alex Dunlop, BBC East senior defence reporter | |
Corrie Mckeague had no reason to vanish. He comes from a loving family and has a strong second family - his fellow gunners at RAF Honington. I use the present tense because he is still officially missing, but the police and his parents now hold out little hope that the Scottish airman is still alive. | |
Why has this 18-month investigation gained such huge public interest? A combination of factors: Corrie is a serviceman, his girlfriend - unbeknown to him - was pregnant with his baby daughter and his family have kept the search for him in the public domain thanks to social media. | |
Now the case has 'gone cold', Corrie Mckeague's family will be devastated but not surprised. I have come to know Corrie's mother, Nicola Urquhart, well. She is articulate and determined. Her family is in Scotland, but she has had to make Suffolk her second home. | |
Corrie's family cannot properly mourn until they have some resolution. For now that seems a long way off. | |
Suffolk Police said it had been "re-examining the evidence relating to all realistic theories to identify whether there is anything else that could be done to establish what could have happened to Corrie". | Suffolk Police said it had been "re-examining the evidence relating to all realistic theories to identify whether there is anything else that could be done to establish what could have happened to Corrie". |
But the force said an assessment of the evidence "still points to Corrie being transported from the 'horseshoe' area in a bin lorry and ultimately taken to the Milton landfill site". | But the force said an assessment of the evidence "still points to Corrie being transported from the 'horseshoe' area in a bin lorry and ultimately taken to the Milton landfill site". |
Mr Mckeague was last seen on CCTV pictures at about 03:25 BST after a night out and his phone was tracked as taking the same route as a bin lorry. | Mr Mckeague was last seen on CCTV pictures at about 03:25 BST after a night out and his phone was tracked as taking the same route as a bin lorry. |
As part of the inquiry, police trawled a landfill site in Milton, Cambridgeshire, for the missing airman's remains. | As part of the inquiry, police trawled a landfill site in Milton, Cambridgeshire, for the missing airman's remains. |
However, after the search the force said they were "content" he was not in the landfill areas. | However, after the search the force said they were "content" he was not in the landfill areas. |
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Megicks said he had "absolute confidence" in the way the investigation was conducted. | Assistant Chief Constable Simon Megicks said he had "absolute confidence" in the way the investigation was conducted. |
"The major investigation team inquiry has been reviewed at various points by senior officers within the constabulary and external experts," he said. | "The major investigation team inquiry has been reviewed at various points by senior officers within the constabulary and external experts," he said. |
Det Supt Elliott added: "If any new, credible and proportionate inquiries relating to Corrie's disappearance emerge we will pursue them." | Det Supt Elliott added: "If any new, credible and proportionate inquiries relating to Corrie's disappearance emerge we will pursue them." |
The force said Mr Mckeague's family have been informed of the decision. | The force said Mr Mckeague's family have been informed of the decision. |
Mr Mckeague's mother Nicola Urquhart previously said the search of the waste site had given her "immeasurable peace of mind". | Mr Mckeague's mother Nicola Urquhart previously said the search of the waste site had given her "immeasurable peace of mind". |
The investigation into the disappearance has cost £2.1m and Suffolk's police and crime commissioner said the government had agreed to contribute with a special grant, expected to be about £800,000. | The investigation into the disappearance has cost £2.1m and Suffolk's police and crime commissioner said the government had agreed to contribute with a special grant, expected to be about £800,000. |