The mother of missing Fife airman Corrie McKeague has revealed that dogs specially trained to find dead bodies have been drafted in to help with the search.
Nicola Urquhart said she had “mixed emotions” as she confirmed that Suffolk Police have given the green light to Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (SULSAR) teams to use cadaver dogs in the hunt for her son.
Corrie, 23, who is originally from Dunfermline, has not been seen since being spotted on CCTV on a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds on September 24, and the alarm was raised when he failed to return to his base at RAF Honington.
Hopes of finding Corrie alive are fading, but his family and friends have appealed for anyone with information about his disappearance to come forward.
Writing on the Facebook page Find Corrie, Nicola revealed: “Quite a few people have been asking about dogs being used in the town centre, it’s with mixed emotions that I can let you know the police have authorised SULSAR to use cadaver dogs in specific areas in the town centre.
“I will update you once this has been completed.”
Nicola also confirmed that police have “possible identities to investigate” following an appeal to trace several people who were in the area around the time of Corrie’s disappearance.
CCTV pictures of those people were posted on social media last week, and Nicola revealed that names had been identified for all of those apart from an older person who looks like they are wearing glasses.
A lorry with a massive TV screen highlighting the search for Corrie will also appear in Bury St Edmunds and the surrounding area next week.
She said: “This is something that we are working together with Suffolk Police MIT (Major Investigations Team) so that we can get all images of every person still unidentified out to those that maybe don’t have access to internet.”
