COLD CASE QUESTIONS
‘Spy in the bag’ mystery ‘solved’ as cops say MI6’s Gareth Williams ‘was alone when he died’ inside padlocked holdall
A forensic review said that 'no new DNA' was found
THE MI6 agent who was found in a padlocked holdall in his bathtub was likely alone when he died, a forensic review has concluded.
Gareth Williams' naked body was discovered at his safe house in Pimlico, London, on August 23, 2010.
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He was found during a routine welfare check by police, who were informed by his colleagues that they hadn't heard from him in several days.
The bag he was in was locked from the outside, with the keys inside with his body.
From cops concluding the scene was "probably an accident" to long held fears international enemies may have been involved, many scenarios have been floated.
But a forensic review published last week by Scotland Yard said that "no new DNA" was found.
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Officers had ordered new lab tests to be carried out on certain items found in his flat.
Modern techniques allowed detectives to identify new DNA on a green towel in a kitchen - but it had belonged to Williams.
The holdall, its zip toggle and the padlock and its key were also tested but no new discoveries were made.
Metropolitan Police sources told The Sunday Times that the 31-year-old Welshman was therefore likely alone when he died.
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Detective chief inspector Neil John is part of Met Police's specialist crime command which has been reassessing the evidence for the past two years.
He said: "In February 2021, a forensic assessment was undertaken, which was also peer-reviewed by a forensic manager in respect of all exhibits seized during this investigation.
"This resulted in a resubmission of exhibits to the forensic laboratory and additional examinations being sought."
What led up to Williams' chilling death
Williams was last seen alive on Sunday, August 15 and was due to chair an MI6 meeting on Monday, August 16.
He was expected to meet a colleague that evening and was due to attend another meeting on Friday, August 20 - but failed to appear.
Despite his absence, MI6 only investigated his absence more than a week later, on August 23, after a call from Williams' sister.
In Death of a Codebreaker, journalist and author, Mark Hollingsworth, explained how London became home to Russian oligarchs and billionaires in the period just before Williams' death.
At the time there were concerns that hoards of cash coming into the capital was a result of money laundering.
This resulted in British security services monitoring Russian organised crimes but not investigating them.
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Who was Gareth Williams?
Gareth Williams was a Welsh mathematician who worked for the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and MI6.
He was found dead in August 2010, commonly referred to as "the spy in a bag".
Born in Anglesey, Wales, on September 26, 1978, Williams was excellent at maths, passing his GCSE in the subject aged 10, and his A-levels at the age of 14.
He completed a doctorate in computer science aged 17.
He started work with GCHQ in 2001, and was placed on secondment with MI6 in London in 2009, a year before his death.
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