Fresh heartache for family of missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague as mum’s father-in-law dies ‘unexpectedly’
THE family of missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague have been hit with another tragic event as his mother's father-in-law has died.
Corrie's mother Nicola Urquhart – who is divorced from the RAF serviceman’s dad – posted on Facebook her husband's father "unexpectedly passed away".
Her son has been missing since September, after he disappeared following a night out in Bury St Edmunds.
The Scottish police officer has been heavily involved in the search efforts to find the 23-year-old.
Fresh tragedy hit the family as Nicola shared the news of her father-in-law's death yesterday, as police revealed plans to search 8,000 tonnes of rubbish at a landfill site.
She wrote on a Facebook page set up to help trace the dad-to-be who vanished on a night out last year: “Although I've mentioned things may be quiet on here while we wait for the landfill to be searched.
“My husband David has sadly lost his father who has very unexpectedly passed away in hospital.
“Corrie is never out my thoughts but I need to be here for our family just now.
“I will update you all as soon as the search starts at the landfill or should anything else significant come to light.
“For just now, more than ever, your support means the world.”
Nicola, 48, spoke out as police prepare to sift through thousands of tons of rubbish in a bid to find the missing serviceman.
A total of 8,000 tonnes of bulk material will be removed from the site at Milton near Cambridge before the search can take place.
Corrie is a senior Aircraftman and is the son of Nicola, from Dunfermline, and Martin McKeague from Cupar, and has two brothers; Darroch and Makeyan McKeague.
The serviceman met his girlfriend April Oliver, 21, five months before his disappearance.
In a heartbreaking twist to the tale, she discovered she was pregnant two weeks after he went missing without a trace.
During the search for him investigators made a link to the landfill after a bin lorry made a collection in the area Corrie was last seen in.
Nicola said: “I think there's a good possibility that that's where he could have ended up, because I try to look at things logically.
“What we know is that he's not left on foot, he's not still in there now, so he's left in a vehicle. That means he could have gone in a bin and then in the bin lorry, or in one of the other vehicles that were there.
“I don't think anyone who has put Corrie there is going to come forward - they would have done it by now.
“But if someone knows how someone is behaving, if they are behaving oddly, we're going to find Corrie if he's in that landfill, so come forward now, so whoever has put him there doesn't get away with saying he's fallen in a bin and it's an accident.
There are various theories about what may have happened to the RAF serviceman.
Possible theories include that Corrie may have attempted to walk home and managed to dodge the cameras.
Another option is that he willingly got in a car with someone else close to the area, or that he was taken against his will.
Police say analysis of mobile phone data revealed his phone travelled between the market town and Barton Mills, more than 13 mile aways.
Timings of a nearby bin lorry match up with the phone's movement, so the truck was seized.
The load weighed less than 15kg, meaning officers do not believe Mr McKeague was in the lorry.
Police are keen to speak to anyone who was in Bury St Edmunds on the night of September 23/24. Anyone with information that may assist is urged to call the Suffolk Police incident room on 01473 782019.