Corrie's Mum: 'RAF Want To Help But Police Won't Ask'

The mother of missing airman Corrie McKeague says that as a police officer she can not understand why the search for his body at a landfill site has been abandoned when the RAF stands ready to assist.

Nicola Urquhart says the commander of RAF Honington, where Corrie was based, has told her it has the resources to help but is powerless to do so without being asked by Suffolk Police.

The landfill is expected to be handed back to its owners this week, but Nicola Urquhart is also considering taking out an injunction to stop police filling in the site. 

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 in Milton, Cambridgeshire.

A petition calling for Suffolk Police to continue the search has more than 20,000 signatures.

Suffolk Police Detective Superintendent Katie Elliott said officers sifted through 6,500 tonnes of waste in an "unprecedented" search for the 23-year-old.

She said:

"Our thoughts are with Corrie's family as we had hoped that this search would have provided them with the answers about what happened to him. Sadly we have not found Corrie, or any trace of his clothing or mobile phone."

This comes after Corrie's mother, Nicola Urquhart, said police had been searching the wrong area of the landfill for 10 weeks.

Talking to Forces News after the announcement, she said she feels 'let down in the way the police has communicated with her' and she intends to stop them from handing back the landfill:

"They've known I have not understood things and they've been ok with just letting me believe. I shouldn't have to ask specific questions again and again, the information should just be shared.

"They should explain things to me to a level I understand, and unfortunately they have not."

She also added that, despite the RAF wanting to help with the search, Suffolk Police haven't asked for assistance:

"Corrie is one of theirs, they want to be able to help. They have expertise, they have abilities, they've got staff, but they're not being asked.

"I am a police officer, I know that all police services are strapped for cash."

Corrie was last seen at 3.24am on September 24, 2016, on Brentgovel Street, Bury St Edmunds.

Ms Elliott added: "The investigation behind the scenes hasn't stood still while the search has been carried out, but all the information we have still points to the fact that Corrie was transported from the 'horseshoe' area in the bin lorry.

"Having been through all of the possibilities in detail, there is nothing to support any theory other than that Corrie was in the bin."

"There are no further sightings of him on CCTV to suggest he left the area, and we have explored the other possibilities as to how he left, such as being taken from the area by someone, and there is no evidence to support that this is the case."

Ms Elliott, who said any new lines of inquiry would be pursued "vigorously", added:

"We have searched the whole area where we believed Corrie could be. We had compelling information that directed us to this area, however we haven't found Corrie and this is bitterly disappointing.

"We have searched the areas where we have information where that waste was deposited.

"Beyond that it's very difficult to establish exactly where we would search for Corrie."

She also paid tribute to the officers sifting through the waste, with many needing hydration tablets as they worked in soaring temperatures in recent weeks. The superintendent went on to add:

"On CCTV he appears to be alone and we have traced and spoken to everyone who walked through Brentgovel Street around the relevant time, and none of them have seen anything suspicious.

"We know that Corrie's phone travelled away from Bury St Edmunds at the same time as the bin lorry that collected waste from Brentgovel Street.

"The theory that Corrie was in the bin that was emptied into the bin lorry shortly after he was last seen is strengthened by credible information that we have obtained through our inquiries that Corrie had been known to go to sleep in rubbish, following a night out.

"We've explored every other reasonable hypothesis and there is nothing to support any other explanation."

However, Suffolk Police have previously been criticised by the public and former detectives for how they carried out the investigation.

Corrie, who was with No2 Sqn, RAF Regiment, based at Honington, was going to meet some friends on Friday 23 September but had been left behind after a misunderstanding.

He drove himself into town to meet them and, after entering a few different bars, they went to the Flex nightclub.

At around 1.00 am he was escorted out of the club by the doorman after he reportedly agreed to “leave amicably”.

He then went to a takeaway place without his friends and was seen by a CCTV camera eating his food. 

He appeared unsteady, on the corner of Brentgovel Street and St Andrew’s Street, in the “horseshoe” area of the town.

The 23-year-old took a nap for around two hours in a doorway of an electrical store before another CCTV camera recorded him walking in Brentgovel Street at 3.25 am.

Writing on the 'Find Corrie' Facebook group, Nicola Urquhart said the search has been going on for 20 weeks because police were first told that the waste had been emptied in a different location:

"This has taken so long because initially the police were told where the rubbish from that night had been dumped. After searching nothing was found, so they carried out the GPS tracking and tachograph analysis which showed they had been in the wrong area."

In April, Nicola said that the search of a landfill site for her son's body has been 'an emotional roller coaster':

#FindCorrie - A Timeline 

06.12.2016

The grandparents of missing RAF airman Corrie McKeague announced a five-figure reward for information leading to his discovery and return.

They said:

 "We've pledged this reward in hopes that it will motivate someone to come forward and help us find my beautiful grandson, Corrie, who went missing the day of his stepmother's birthday. We're heartbroken, but we're not giving up. Corrie would expect us to stay strong." 

15.12.2016 

Nicola Urquhart issued an invitation to the 75,000 members of the Find Corrie Facebook page last night to help them search an undisclosed location.

06.01.2017

The family of missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague announce the next step in their online campaign to find Corrie.

More than £53,100 had been raised after an online crowdfunding page was set up by the family.

McKeague’s uncle, Tony Wringe, announced that the money was be going towards the hire of a PI team, known as McKenzie Intelligence Services (MIS). 

09.01.2017

The girlfriend of missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague announced that she is expecting his baby. 

In an interview with BBC Look East, Miss Oliver said she discovered she was pregnant in October - just weeks after Mr McKeague's disappearance after a night out in Bury St Edmunds 

10.02.2017

Police announced they were to search a landfill site in Cambridgeshire as they continued their hunt for Corrie. 

18.06.2017

Corrie McKeague's girlfriend announced the birth of their baby.