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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Gemma Ryder

Vile killer who dismembered Scots teen died in prison after contracting sepsis

A vile killer who butchered a teenage mum and dumped her body parts died of natural causes after contracting sepsis in prison, an investigation into his death has found.

Evil Michael McArthur was jailed in 2004 at the High Court in Edinburgh for murdering and then dismembering the body of 19-year-old Amy Anderson in 2002.

The 76-year-old was serving a life sentence at HMP Dumfries when he passed away on April 11 last year.

Amy, who was mum to a young baby at the time, met a horrific end at the hands of the drifter on waste ground near the River Leven in Alexandria.

He dismembered her body, and her torso was later found on the banks of the river in May 2002.

McArthur was eventually found guilty of Amy's murder and sentenced to life in behind bars by the High Court in Edinburgh two years later, where he remained until his death in April last year aged 74.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the circumstances surrounding his death found that the inmate died of natural causes after contracting sepsis due to several health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, kidney inflammation, liver cirrhosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Police searching a landfill in Dumbarton for clues of Amy. (Daily Record)

The inquiry heard that McArthur has a history of suffering from multiple long-term medical conditions and had was admitted into hospital on several occasions in the months leading up to his death.

He was found slumped over his bed on April 7 while an officer carried on checks and was taken to A&E at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. There is condition deteriorated.

Sheriff Kevin McCallum concluded there was nothing that could have been done to prevent McArthur's death and made no recommendations.

The investigation revealed that McArthur did not have a next of kin listed and and did not receive any visits in prison during his time at HMP Dumfries.

Amy was a college student and gave birth to a baby girl when she was 18. But, she became addicted to heroin and ended up on the streets.

During McArthur's trial he claimed to have become a "father figure" to the young woman and let her sleep in the derelict container where he lived in Alexandria. He also claimed she was pregnant at the time.

Jurors were told that Amy was suffocated, dissected and her body parts burned before being dumped. Her pelvis was found in 2003 in a pond near the river, but her head, arms and legs have never been recovered.

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