EXCLUSIVE: Corrie McKeague's Mother Speaks Out About Landfill Search

Corrie McKeague’s mother has spoken out about the police decision to re-start the landfill search for the missing airman for the first time.

Speaking to Forces News, she said:

“I’m really pleased that they’ve re-started the search. It’s been horrible having to wait, feeling like nothing was getting done…since July it’s been difficult just waiting.

“If Corrie is in the landfill, the way that they’ve explained it, they will find him. They will get to the end of this search and be able to categorically state if Corrie is not in cell 22.

“That must mean they’re still getting the incorrect information and something else has happened, or that somebody else is involved, so they’ll have to go down that route.

“To try and believe that Corrie is in the landfill – the only way I can believe that is if someone has put him in that Biffa bin”

“I know that Corrie would not climb into a bin…everybody that knows him knows that Corrie wouldn’t do that- it’s not something he’s ever done before.

“If Corrie’s in that landfill, that’s going to be difficult to process; I’m going to struggle with how he’s ended up in that landfill.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to try and find him. Of course I’ll keep pushing- no matter how angry and upset I am, I’ll keep going and being positive, doing what I need to do to try and find him.

“I’ll never give up on my children…I’m always going to work with the police, to do what I can to try and find him. I’ll just never stop”.

Watch the full interview above.

The interview comes after Police announced that they are going to restart the search for Corrie McKeague at a landfill site in Cambridgeshire. 

A painstaking search found no trace of him and was originally called off in July but police have now decided that the Milton site is still the most likely location for the missing airman to be found.

Police will now focus their attention on an area in the landfill that has been labelled Cell 22 and say the search is likely to take 4 to 6 weeks.

Detective Superintendent Katie Elliott said:

"Throughout this rigorous investigation, we have remained committed to following all reasonable lines of enquiry in our endeavours to discover what has happened to Corrie.

"Confronted by the variances in the way waste can be deposited and through further investigation, we cannot discount the possibility Corrie may be elsewhere in Cell 22. Therefore, we believe our decision to extend the search area is the correct one.

"We have spoken to Corrie’s mum and dad to explain our decision, and share in detail the reasons behind it. We will, of course, continue to work together with Corrie’s family as the inquiry progresses."

The 23-year-old airman, who was based at RAF Honington, was last seen at 3.25am after going out with his friends on 24th September 2016.

The police investigation led to the belief the RAF gunner had been taken in a bin lorry to the Milton landfill site in Cambridgeshire.

RAF Honington reported their airman was missing at 11.30 am the following Monday, when he didn’t turn up for a parade.

On October 4, almost a year ago to the day, it was revealed that his mobile phone had been tracked moving 12 miles away to Barton Mills just hours after he was last seen.

It followed the route of the bin lorry which was later searched with no trace of Corrie. The landfill where it dropped its waste was not examined.

Suffolk Police continued their search, and it was later determined that Corrie could not have left the area on foot without being picked up by the town’s CCTV.

The landfill search started on the 6th March, after Corrie's family campaigned for it landfill to be examined. 

It was only after revelations that the refuse vehicle was carrying a heavier load than first thought that searches started in the landfill site in Cambridgeshire.

However, on 21st July the police announced that they will end the search for the missing airman after "no trace" of him was found - despite believing his remains are somewhere on site.

Last month, Suffolk Police set up a pod in an attempt to encourage people to come forward with new information.

Detectives have also recently identified the four individuals in the CCTV images released. 

One of the males came forward following the police appeal, and he has also given names of the three friends he was with on the night.

More to follow.