EDITORIAL

The family of missing RAF Honington serviceman Corrie McKeague has hired a private investigator to help in their search for him. The news follows a JustGiving page which was set up last month after Corrie’s mother, Nicola Urquhart, said that she had lost faith in Suffolk Police. She claimed that the police had “absolutely destroyed” her belief that they can find 23-year-old Corrie.

Country Squire Magazine feels obliged to pass on the relevant information to the search for Corrie to our Readers – information that could perhaps in some way assist with finding Corrie. Especially now the news is through he is due to become a father.

Please read below, visit the #findcorrie page and, if you would like to, please donate at the JustGiving page set up for finding him. One can only imagine what Corrie’s family are going through.

Who is Corrie McKeague?

Corrie McKeague is a 23-year-old man from Fife, in Scotland. For the last 3 years Corrie has been posted to RAF Honington, ten miles north of Bury St Edmunds. Corrie is a Senior Aircraft man in the RAF Regimental Gunners 2 Squadron, C Flight, he is a Team Medic.

Corrie is described as white, 5ft 10ins tall, medium build, with light brown hair, short at the sides and longer on top. Corrie is the middle child with 2 brothers, Darroch (21) and Makeyan (25).  The boys have lived in Fife all their lives, residing in Dunfermline with their mother Nicola Urquhart and step-father. Corrie’s father, Martin, who has worked and resided abroad, has recently moved back to his home town of Cupar with his wife Trish.

Corrie is a young single man, living life to the fullest, he is everybody’s friend and finds himself in people’s hearts without even trying. The love of Corrie’s life is Louell a little 7-month-old pug cross french bulldog, who was left in Corrie’s bedroom on the base – cared for by 2 Squadron and now coming home with Corrie’s family.

Timeline of events

Friday September 23: Corrie drove to Bury St Edmunds for a night out with friends. He was wearing a distinctive pink Ralph Lauren shirt, with white trousers and brown Timberland boots.

Saturday September 24: Corrie separated from his friends in the early hours of Saturday after leaving Flex nightclub, St Andrews Street South He got takeaway food from his regular place, Pizza Mamma Mia, on St Andrews Street North, where he seemed happy and played rock, paper, scissors with a stranger.

1.20am: He then passed a CCTV camera at around 1.20am opposite The Grapes Pub on Brentgovel Street/St Andrews Street. CCTV footage of him eating his food as he passed this camera was later released by Suffolk police. He took a nap for around two hours in the doorway to Hughes Electrical Store (Brentgovel Street/St Johns Street junction).

3.08am: Corrie responded to a message from a friend, forwarding an image to them from his phone. This is last time Corrie used his mobile phone.

3.24am: Corrie got up from the doorway and headed past the junction of St Johns Street and down a pathway (towards Cornhill Walk)

3.25am: Corrie turned right into a loading/refuse collection area behind the Greggs shop. This is the last confirmed sighting of Corrie. He was never seen leaving this loading area on camera.

3.24am to around 4.30am: Police were able to trace Corrie’s mobile phone from Bury to the Barton Mills area, near Mildenhall, at a speed only a vehicle could travel at. His phone was not used after this and it has not been found.

The timings of the movement of the phone match that of a bin lorry known to have travelled between the towns at the time. The bin lorry is seized. The phone is not found.

Sunday September 25: No information about Corrie’s whereabouts is known during this time.

Monday September 26: Corrie is reported missing in the afternoon after he does not turn up for duty at RAF Honington.

Tuesday September 27: At 4.10am, police make their first media appeal for information, releasing his image to the public.