A man yesterday appeared in court charged with the murder of Renee MacRae and her toddler son almost 43 years ago.
William MacDowell, 77, was in the dock hours after being arrested.
Renee, 36, and her three-year-old Andrew vanished from their home in Inverness on November 12, 1976.
They were thought to be heading south on the A9 but Renee’s blue BMW was found ablaze in a layby at Dalmagarry, 11 miles from Inverness.
Blood stains were later discovered in the boot. Neither Renee nor Andrew have been seen since.
In recent years, Police Scotland’s major investigations team have escalated efforts in re-examining the case, aided
by modern forensic and investigative techniques.
A water-filled quarry was drained at Leanach, near Culloden, earlier in the summer.
The detective leading the hunt vowed to “leave no stone unturned” in his bid to get justice for Renee’s family.
At the time, Detective Inspector Brian Geddes said: “Forty-two years is undeniably a long time, however it is certainly no barrier to justice.”
Yesterday, despite police refusing to reveal if the latest quarry search had yielded any clues, officers swooped on an address in Penrith, Cumbria, and arrested MacDowell.
Hours later, he made a private appearance at Inverness Sheriff Court. As well as the double murder rap, he was accused
of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
He made no plea, was committed for further examination and granted bail by Sheriff Margaret Neilson.
MacDowell, formerly from Inverness, arrived at court just before 3.45pm, having been driven north.
He was helped out of an unmarked police vehicle and stumbled before an officer helped him through the rear access door to the court cell block.
Just over half an hour later, he was led out and back into the police vehicle.
A High Court trial is expected next year.
A year ago, Renee’s sister Morag Govans said: “More than four decades on, the pain of losing Renee and Andrew doesn’t ease. Not a day goes past that they’re not in my thoughts.
“I will never give up hope of getting justice for them both.
“Andrew was just three years old – a mischievous and fun-loving wee boy. It’s impossible to take in that his life was brought so cruelly to an end at such a young age.”
