The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Detectives’ probe into murder of Elizabeth
New US investigation 30 years after nurse’s brutal death
Cold case detectives in America have launched a new investigation into the brutal murder of a Scottish nurse at a religious college 30 years ago.
Elizabeth Mackintosh, 50, was found strangled with a cord and stabbed in the neck in the toilets of a chapel at the Covenant Theological Seminary in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in March 1990.
Miss Mackintosh’s brother, Sinclair, who lives in Sutherland, says he hopes the inquiry will bring some closure.
Miss Mackintosh, the daughter of a former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, was originally from Edinburgh and was studying at the seminary for a degree in counselling.
“It’s been a tragedy and to get some closure would help”
Police launched a murder probe at the time of her death but no one has ever been brought to justice for the killing.
The Creve Coeur Police Department is now working with three retired detectives who originally investigated the case.
They have sifted through every piece of evidence collected over the last three decades and are preparing to carry out searches.
The ex-detectives are hopeful that advances in DNA technology could allow charges to be brought in the near future.
Mr Mackintosh, 82, of Dornoch, said he was hopeful of a breakthrough.
He said: “The police have been very good and I’m aware of the work they are doing, putting fresh eyes on the whole situation.
“They have still got Elizabeth very much in the forefront of their minds, there is no doubt about that.
“This has been going on for 30 years and it could be there’s a conclusion now but we will just have to wait and see. It’s been a tragedy and to get some closure would help.”
Miss Mackintosh worked as a cleaner at the college to earn money while studying and was attacked while cleaning the men’s toilets in the chapel.
She was beaten, strangled and stabbed in the neck with a pair of scissors. There was no sign of sexual assault.
Glenn Eidman, Creve Coeur’s chief of police, said: “Elizabeth Mackintosh was found murdered inside the men’s bathroom of the Rayburn Chapel on the Covenant Theological Seminary Campus on March 26 1990.
“She was in the process of cleaning the men’s restroom when she was attacked and killed.
“The major case squad was activated and several persons of interest were questioned. No arrests were made.
“In January 2020, three retired Creve Coeur police department captains expressed interest in working on the case on a volunteer basis. All three of them worked on the homicide when it took place in 1990.
“They have worked many hours going over evidence, reading reports and formulating new ideas.
“They are in the process of drafting more search warrants with the assistance of detective Doug Manninger and the St Louis prosecuting attorney’s office.”
Miss Mackintosh was the daughter of former Free Church Moderator, Rev Professor James Mackintosh, and his wife, Hughie. Her parents both died within six years of the murder.
The case is the only unsolved murder in the history of the city, which is around 14 miles from St Louis.
More than 300 students at the college campus were questioned.
A psychological profile prepared by the FBI suggested Miss Mackintosh was the victim of a young male loner with low selfesteem.
George Hodak, one of the retired detectives who is part of the cold case team, said: “It’s a policeman’s nightmare to have a murder suspect still running around out there and you can’t do anything about it.”