A year on, family of missing RAF man ‘no nearer the truth’
THE past two weeks have been agony for the family of missing RAF Gunner Corrie McKeague.
First they had to remember his birthday on Sept 11, now they have to endure the anniversary of his disappearance one year ago today.
Adding to the family’s sorrow is the fact his girlfriend April gave birth to a baby girl, Ellie, earlier this year, a daughter he will never see.
But the pain of the past year has not dimmed their determination in their search for an answer to how did Corrie seemingly disappear without a trace.
“We don’t have closure,” said Martin McKeague, his father. “We can’t put him to rest, we can’t go through that grieving. It’s an emptiness because we don’t have him. All I’m focused on is finding my son.”
Nicola Urquhart, McKeague’s mother, added: “We have our tough days, but this month is going to be the toughest yet. It has been a year and we know nothing more than we knew a week after we first got that call saying he was missing.
“As a mother and as a family this is so hard.” The 23-year-old, who was based at RAF Honington, Suffolk, was last seen after a night out in Bury St Edmunds. He was captured on CCTV in the early hours of Sept 24, walking into an alleyway known as the Horseshoe, after becoming separated from his friends.
Detectives believe that the airman had fallen asleep in an industrial bin, which was then taken to the Milton landfill, where his mobile phone signal was traced, matching the route the waste lorry would have taken. Despite a search of 6,300 tons of waste, no trace was found.
This weekend, McKeague’s parents travelled from their homes in Scotland to Bury St Edmunds to help police appeal for the break needed to solve the mystery of his disappearance.
Suffolk police this week released CCTV stills of individuals who may have spoken with him on the night.
Additional reporting by Oliver Price