Corrie McKeague's mum says human bones found dumped in river 'in murder investigation' are not him
THE mum of missing airman Corrie McKeague says human bones found dumped in a river during a murder investigation aren't her son's.
Nicola Urquhart had feared the worst after the discovery of human remains in the River Stour in Sudbury, Suffolk on August 27.
But she said Suffolk Police have since contacted her to say that the remains are not Mr McKeague.
Ms Urquhart, writing on the Find Corrie Facebook page, said: "We don't know who this person is, but we do know it's someone's son or daughter and they will be devastated.
"I hope and pray that Suffolk MIT [Major Investigation Team] are able to identify who this person is for the family that have been left behind.
"Please remember though that although I am writing this as Corrie's mum, and I now know this is not my son, it is a murder investigation.
"If anybody knows anything, was in the area at the time, has CCTV or dash cam footage please contact Suffolk MIT."
Mr McKeague was 23 when he vanished on a night out in Bury St Edmunds, around 16 miles north of Sudbury, on September 24, 2016. He was stationed at RAF Honington.
His mum this week shared a new picture of her son on Twitter alongside a message which read: "In just one second our lives will never be the same.
"Missing you so much."
Suffolk Police carried out a post-mortem examination on the bones, found in Sudbury, at the weekend.
It has not yet been possible to establish a cause of death.
The force said further tests are now taking place, adding that this will be a "lengthy process".
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Brown, the Senior Investigating Officer in the Sudbury case, said: "Detailed forensic investigations on the remains are continuing and, although progress is being made every day, this will be a long and painstaking process to complete as we strive to establish the identity of the victim."
Officers completing house-to-house inquiries have spoken to the residents of more than 100 properties so far and more than 140 witnesses have come forward to help.
The investigation into Mr McKeague's disappearance was passed to cold case detectives in 2018.
Suffolk Police said the "most likely scenario" is that he went into a bin which was emptied into a lorry and ended up in the waste process.
No trace of him has ever been found.
His mum had last week told the East Anglian Daily Times she feared the bones discovered were her son's.
"Most times when remains or bodies have been found, the police down in Suffolk have been able to put my mind at rest that it's not Corrie very quickly," she said.
"After speaking to me, they'll be able to tell me that they already think they know who the person is or, for whatever reason, they know it's not Corrie.
"Unfortunately, on this occasion, they've not been able to do that.
"So I think the hard thing is that, whether this is Corrie or not, this is somebody's son or daughter – and it's whether anybody will ever find out because they might not be able to identify who this person is."
The investigation into Mr McKeague's disappearance was passed to cold case detectives in 2018.
SHOPPING TROLLEY 'COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO CARRY REMAINS'
Residents living near the river say they don't believe the remains could have been in the river long because the waterway is well maintained.
Dog walker Barry Rock, 54, said he saw a Sainsbury’s trolley left beside a parking place on Wednesday evening just 100 yards from where the bags were found.
Police launched a murder inquiry after the bags were recovered form the water on Thursday afternoon next to a submerged shopping trolley.
Mr Rock said: “It was a surprise to see the trolley there because it is about a mile and half from the supermarket."
The bags were first spotted by a member of the public between Meadow Gates and Croft Bridge in Sudbury.
A river ranger then fished the bags out before alerting police.
A resident who lives nearby said: "I walked past the spot whet the bags were found at about 1pm on Thursday and saw nothing suspicious or odd.
“There were just three girls aged about 13 messing about in a boat. It was an innocent scene, but it is rather chilling to think of it now.
“The river is very well kept and anything that is thrown in is quickly pulled out. That’s why I think the bags could not have been in there for very long.
“This is the weirdest thing that has happened in the 20 years that I have lived here.”
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