Mother’s relief as fresh Corrie search is fruitless

VOLUNTEERS: Transfer station is combed to find trace of missing airman

The mother of missing Fife airman Corrie McKeague has spoken of her “great relief” that a search of a waste transfer station over the weekend proved fruitless.

Nicola Urquhart was speaking after around 30 volunteers from the Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (SULSAR) took time on Sunday to scour the Red Lodge Transfer Station in Suffolk in response to her ongoing fears her son may have been dumped there.

Recent focus has been on the Milton landfill site in Cambridgeshire, where police believe the RAF gunner’s body is likely to be found as the movements of his mobile phone tallied with that of a Biffa bin lorry on the morning he disappeared.

However, Ms Urquhart has repeatedly asked for the area around the Red Lodge Transfer Station to be searched – long before the search at the landfill was agreed on – as a number of lorries picked up waste from that site before transporting it to Milton.

“Around 30 of the professional and dedicated volunteers yet again gave up their own precious free time to search for Corrie, along with fire service cadaver dogs,” Nicola explained.

“When I’ve been requesting this search to be completed, the DCI in charge was aware that only one person he was aware of had managed to survive being crushed in the rear of a bin lorry.

“As such, although the chance was extremely remote, it was still possible and he agreed the search would take place.

“I don’t understand why it has taken so long but I’m very grateful it has now been done. It’s with great relief that I can let you know there was no trace of Corrie in the search.

“I say this because living day in and day out with the thought that your child has somehow managed to drag himself away, but dies of possible injuries, is horrific.

“No matter how rational or positive I try to be, that has been very hard to cope with all this time.”

Corrie, 23, from Dunfermline, was reported missing after failing to return to his base at RAF Honington following a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds in September 2016.

The lorry understood to have emptied the bin it is believed Corrie may have been in dumped its load in “bay three” at the transfer station on September 24 2016, with the dumped refuse then crushed along with other rubbish already in the bay.

It was previously thought that one lorry collected the rubbish from the transfer station the following Monday and took it to Milton.

However, the fact not all of the waste was collected from the bay meant a further three lorries could have picked up his body.

I’m very grateful this has now been done. NICOLA URQUHART

Pictures: PA. The search for Corrie McKeague, below right, took in a new location at the weekend but still found nothing, which has given his mother Nicola Urquhart, below left, some hope.