NEW CLUES IN HUNT FOR EMMA KILLER
Cops launch fresh search of area where body was uncovered Prostitute was spotted getting into black BMW by eyewitness
COLD CASE detectives have a new possible sighting of murder victim Emma Caldwell on the night she vanished 12 years ago.
A witness in the heart of Glasgow saw Emma getting into a black
BMW-type saloon car which has been linked to the Dumfries area.
Search teams are also working in the forest where the killer dumped Emma’s body, looking for her clothes and bag.
Police revealed the new leads at a news conference yesterday – the anniversary of Emma’s disappearance.
And the man leading the inquiry urged those who may be shielding the killer to give him up for the sake of her heartbroken mother Margaret.
Detective Superintendent David McLaren said: “You may be a parent, a brother, a sister, a partner.
“You may have suspicions that this person was responsible for Emma’s death.
“I would ask you to look at yourself in the mirror, put yourself in Margaret’s shoes, and do the decent thing and get in touch with us.”
Emma, 27, of Erskine, Renfrewshire, vanished in 2005 in Glasgow, where she had been working as a prostitute.
Her body was found on May 8 that year at a remote spot near Roberton, Glasgow, 40 miles from the city. The Crown Office ordered the new police investigation in 2015 after revelations by our sister paper the Sunday Mail about the original inquiry. For years, the last known sighting of Emma was in Butterbiggins Road, in Govanhill on Glasgow’s south side, at 11pm on Monday April 4, 2005. But officers now believe she was spotted less than two miles away at the west end of Argyle Street at 11.30pm that night. The witness told police Emma possibly got into a black saloon car that might have been a BMW. Mr McLaren, left, said: “We don’t have a registration number so we don’t know who the registered keeper is. But we have information that would suggest the vehicle may have been owned by someone who lived in the Dumfries area but travelled to Glasgow on a regular basis. “Their engagement with Emma that
night might have been purely innocent. We just need to identify who that person was, why they were in the area and why they were speaking to her.”
Asked if the driver could be the killer, Mr McLaren said: “I don’t know. The sighting has come to us some time after Emma went missing.
“Trying to tie it down to that night is difficult. But given that Emma was found near the M74 – the road to Dumfries – it’s difficult for us to ignore.”
Mr McLaren would not say if police have a full DNA profile of the killer. He said there were “forensic opportunities” in the case, and that recent advances have given his team access to a process which separates male and female DNA.
The detective said his team were still working through a mountain of evidence.
But he added: “We are now entering a really crucial phase. As a result of that evaluation, we are now able to focus in on the areas I feel will take us closer to finding Emma’s killer.”
Mr McLaren said the area where Emma’s body was found was “a critical part” of the investigation. And he revealed that search teams were working again nearby after information from witnesses and advice from national search advisers.
Two areas are being targeted. There will be a fingertip search of a section of dense woodland and divers will search a pond.
The hope is that Emma’s clothes and belongings will finally be found. Mr McLaren believes that after all this time, they could still hold vital forensic evidence.
He said Emma was carrying a black handbag or holdall the night she vanished.
Mr McLaren confirmed his team have spoken to other sex workers who were taken to the spot where Emma was found.
But he believes more women may have been driven there, possibly in the killer’s company. And he wants to talk to them.
He said: “Roberton is about 40 miles outside Glasgow and it would take the best part of an hour to get there.
“I would ask anyone who has been taken that kind of distance, or a significant distance outside of Glasgow, to get in touch, even if you can’t be sure it’s the same place.
“I completely understand that women involved in prostitution or who have been involved in prostitution may be reluctant to come forward.
“But I would stress that this investigation is not about casting opinions about people or making you feel uncomfortable in any way. Our focus here is to find Emma’s killer.”
Mr McLaren and his team have got to know Emma’s family through their work, and that has made them more determined than ever to get them justice.
The detective said: “Over the last 18 months I have spent a lot of time with Margaret and the wider family.
“I have seen the pain they have gone through from not having answers.
“There are people who can assist us. I would appeal for them to get in touch.”
Anyone with information about Emma’s murder is asked to phone Police Scotland on the 101 number.
Alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.