Police have rejected claims that they have failed to investigate allegations passed on by the family of the missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague.

McKeague was last seen on CCTV footage walking through Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, after a night out with friends in September 2016. It is thought he may have climbed into a waste bin that was then taken away by a lorry. But two extensive searches at a landfill site in Milton, near Cambridge, failed to find any trace of his remains.

McKeague’s mother, Nicola Urquhart, said she was concerned that the police had failed to properly investigate allegations that her son had been murdered.

Speaking to Sky News, she said: “We have had various calls suggesting a crime, but when we passed them on to police they took little action to follow them up.”

She added: “I spoke to the senior investigating officer two weeks ago and mentioned one call that we alerted them to, but she said she knew nothing about it.”

Urquhart said she had since been told that police were doing more to pursue the possible leads.

Nicola Urquhart. Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

Suffolk police said the investigation was still open as they continue to explore theories about how McKeague went missing.

Supt Katie Elliott said: “We are still committed to continuing with the inquiry. There are a number of other theories about what could have happened to Corrie and we are continuing to test the evidence to help us understand what happened to Corrie, which will assist in providing answers to his family.”



The force also pointed out that an East Midlands police review of its investigation had backed its conclusion that McKeague had ended up in the waste disposal process.

After the second 20-week search at the landfill site failed to find any trace of McKeague, Elliott said: “We are acutely aware of the immense strain the last 15 months has placed upon Corrie’s loved ones. We want them to be confident we are doing everything that it is practical for us to do as we strive to find Corrie.”