Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I’m your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we’re looking back at one of Scotland's longest and most harrowing missing persons cases: the 1976 disappearance of Renee MacRae and her three-year-old son, Andrew. This story, spanning almost five decades, unfolded with twists and mysteries that left the people of Scotland — and the wider UK — gripped for generations.

On the chilly evening of November 12, 1976, Renee MacRae left her home in Cradlehall, Inverness, after dropping her nine-year-old son, Gordon, at her estranged husband’s house. She then set off with Andrew, heading south along the A9, reportedly to visit her sister in Kilmarnock. But that journey never concluded. Later that night, a train driver noticed Renee’s BMW engulfed in flames in an isolated lay-by about twelve miles south of Inverness.

When police arrived at the scene, they found Renee’s car burned out and abandoned. Inside, they found only one clue that hinted at a more sinister event: a blood-stained rug, the blood type matching Renee’s. There was no sign of Andrew or Renee, and their fate remained unknown. Reports soon emerged that on the night of her disappearance, witnesses had seen a man dragging what appeared to be a large bundle, possibly her body, close to where the car was discovered. A nearby quarry was also the site of an alleged sighting of a man with a pushchair — and though it was never confirmed, many suspected this was Andrew’s.

This case quickly became more than just a missing persons investigation, as police uncovered complexities in Renee’s life that suggested this may have been more than a tragic accident or random act of violence. Renee was, at the time, in a clandestine relationship with a man named William (Bill) MacDowell, a married accountant who worked with her estranged husband, Gordon MacRae. Friends of Renee later testified that she and MacDowell had been romantically involved since the early 1970s and that Andrew was, in fact, MacDowell’s son. On the night of her disappearance, Renee hadn’t been planning to visit her sister but instead had intended to meet MacDowell, who had reportedly promised her a fresh start and a life together.

As police investigated, the web around MacDowell began to tighten. Despite initially denying involvement in her disappearance, his behavior raised suspicions. Just days after Renee and Andrew vanished, MacDowell claimed she’d called him twice, a detail he omitted in police interviews. Friends described Renee as devoted to her young son, making it highly unlikely she would have vanished voluntarily. But with no bodies and only circumstantial evidence, the police faced a daunting challenge.

An initial search of nearby Dalmagarry quarry in the months following her disappearance turned up nothing definitive, though searchers reported a strong odor beneath the soil. The investigation, already facing budget limitations, had to stop short, leaving some officers haunted by the suspicion they’d been close to finding the remains of Renee and Andrew.

The case went cold until 2004, when a documentary on Scotland’s Grampian Television revived public interest. This brought about a renewed investigation that led to another excavation at Dalmagarry quarry. However, the search again proved fruitless. Over the decades, rumors circulated that Renee and Andrew might have been buried beneath the A9, then undergoing major construction. Yet aerial photographs from that period suggested no disruption to the earth on the day of her disappearance, ruling out this theory as well.

The mystery continued to evolve, but it wasn’t until 2018 that a major break emerged when police began searching Leanach quarry near Culloden Battlefield. This search once again failed to produce the physical evidence investigators hoped for, but more witnesses came forward, providing chilling insights into the events of 1976. One such witness reported that MacDowell had attempted to hire him to kill Renee and Andrew through an acid attack, a claim that police took seriously. It was even alleged that MacDowell had removed and burned part of his car’s flooring shortly after their disappearance, adding to the suspicion surrounding him.

Finally, in September 2019, MacDowell was formally charged with the murders of Renee and Andrew MacRae, and in September 2022, he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. Yet MacDowell maintained his innocence until his death in early 2023, less than six months into his sentence, leaving lingering questions as he never disclosed where the bodies of Renee and Andrew might be hidden.

This case serves as a haunting reminder of how justice delayed can still be justice achieved, albeit bittersweetly. For nearly five decades, Renee and Andrew’s family had hoped for closure. Though the conviction provided some measure of resolution, their bodies remain missing, leaving a scar on Inverness and beyond, and a hole in Scotland's collective memory.

Thank you for joining us for today’s somber journey into the past on This Day in Scottish History. I’m Colin MacDonald, and I invite you to join me next time as we explore another chapter of Scotland's storied past. Until then, take care and haste ye back.

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