Tri-Service

Police Seize Bin Lorry In Search For Missing RAF Man

A bin lorry has been seized for examination by police searching for missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague.

It comes after analysis showed his phone moved between Bury and Barton Mills on the morning of his disappearance.

The phone was in Bury St Edmunds early on Saturday 24 September and but then moved to the Barton Mills area. It didn’t move after this and has not been used since. This phone has not been found at this time.

More: Family's Emotional Plea For Missing RAF Man To 'Get In Touch'

Police are looking at what happened but are exploring the possibility that the phone may have been lost or discarded, as the timings of the movement has been found to coincide with that of a bin lorry that is known to have travelled between the locations at the time.

The weight of the pick-up has been analysed and it appears the load was under 15kg – so it is not thought that Corrie was with the phone. Searches are being carried out between Bury and Barton Mills, however.

Police and RAF teams are searching for the missing serviceman

Searches by Suffolk Police, RAF personnel, Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue, and the National Police Air Service helicopter have continued over the weekend, and checks were carried out in Bury St Edmunds a week on from his disappearance, but these have not yet revealed any new information as to his whereabouts. The search area has now been expanded, meanwhile.

The last confirmed sighting of Corrie is on Saturday 24 September at 3.20am on Brentgovel Street in Bury St Edmunds town centre in Suffolk. He is believed to have been wearing a pink Ralph Lauren polo shirt and brown suede Timberland boots at the time of his disappearance. Police recently released CCTV of the sighting (see below).

Enquiries and information received over the past week have led police to believe he may have been in the Mildenhall area at some point between 4.30am and 8am on Saturday 24 September,

Police are continuing to appeal for help from anyone who may have seen or heard from the 23-year-old since the early hours of last Saturday. Chief Inspector Steve Denham of Suffolk Police said:

"This behaviour is totally out of character for Corrie and we are very concerned for his welfare."

They've also moved to play down his mother’s fears that he may have been abducted, with a spokesman for Suffolk police quoted by the Guardian as saying this "has never been a main line of inquiry", and that there is no evidence of foul play. He added

"The most likely scenario is that he has been for a night out, he’s had a bit to drink and he’s attempted to walk back [to the base]. That is the working theory – obviously we keep an open mind to every possibility."

The spokesman added: "The incident in RAF Marham where [the serviceman] was out jogging in the vicinity of the base was a totally different circumstance."

Anyone who saw Corrie or may have any information about where he is now is being asked to contact the duty sergeant at Bury St Edmunds as a matter of urgency, by dialling Suffolk Police on 101.