A report by specialist officers had previously concluded Corrie was ‘most likely’ at the landfill site
The mother of missing airman Corrie McKeague has admitted that he is not buried in a landfill after police ended their 27-week search of the huge site.
Search and recovery teams scoured 9,000 tonnes of rubbish in the hope of finding traces of the missing man.
Police have so far spent £1.5m looking for Corrie, 23, who disappeared following a night out in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in September 2016.
It was thought he climbed into a waste bin and was ‘disposed of through the waste disposal process’, leading cops to search for his body at the landfill site in Milton, Cambridgeshire.
But no evidence of him has been found and police officially announced the end of the search today.
His devastated mother Nicola Urquhart, 48, said: ‘I know how long and the search teams have worked – it has been an extremely physical and emotional task and we will never be able to thank them enough for their efforts.
‘What I can say is that my complete trust in the team leaves me certain that had Corrie been in that landfill they would have found him.
‘The peace of mind they have given me is immeasurable – I will no longer picture my son in that landfill.
‘From the first day that we stood in the middle of Bury St Edmunds we wanted that possibility to be investigated and if necessary ruled out.
Corrie was last seen on a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in the early hours of September 23, 2016
‘This was not because we ever truly believed Corrie was there but it has always been the simplest explanation as to what may have happened to him.
‘There are many things I can do to help in the search but I have always known that searching the landfill was and would never be something I could or would be allowed to do myself.
‘That would have left us in the tortuous situation of imagining that Corrie may have just been left there. Once all lines of inquiry have been exhausted if this didn’t find Corrie I don’t think as a mother I could ever come to terms with knowing if Corrie was in that landfill.
‘I have been assured that I will now be given updates about the inquiry – that lines that have been investigated already along with anything else that is a reasonable line of inquiry will now be tested again or investigated.’
Suffolk Police officers have spent 135 days combing through tonnes of rubbish for the 23-year-old.
The search of the Milton landfill site in Cambridgeshire will be called off on Tuesday
It may never be known what happened to Corrie, who was based at RAF Honington, Suffolk.
Reacting to the announcement by Suffolk Police, Corrie’s mother Nicola and brothers Makeyan and Darroch issued a statement today.
They said they asked police to check whether he had been taken to landfill after seeing the bins in the area Corrie was last seen known as the horseshoe.
Corrie was last seen on CCTV at 3.24am near a loading area known as the horseshoe.
The original 20-week search for Corrie at the landfill site was stopped in July after nothing was found.
Only one bin was collected from the area that morning and waste from it was initially taken to a transfer station at Red Lodge and then to the Milton landfill site.
Corrie’s dad Martin has vowed not to give up hope his son could still be found
But the search continued in October after 25,000 people signed a petition calling for it to be resumed.
Nicola, a serving police officer, described the hunt for her son as a ‘live investigation’ and offered other theories as to what could have happened to him.
She said: ‘The investigation to find Corrie is still very much a live investigation, we are still a very long way off saying that all that can be done has.
‘From the start, we have said. Corrie is still in the area, left on foot or left on a vehicle. We now know Corrie is not in the landfill.’
Corrie pictured with his 21-year-old girlfriend April Oliver. The original search for him was called off after 20 weeks
Nicola Urquhart, Corrie’s mother, retraces her sons final steps in Bury St Edmunds exactly a year after his disappearance
She also thanked the search team for their efforts in looking for her son.
Nicola added: ‘The search team, have carried out an extremely physical and emotional task. I would hope that the invaluable knowledge they have now gained can be used with other forces should any other family find themselves in our position.
‘I know how hard they have tried to find Corrie and we will never be able to thank them enough for their efforts.
‘What I can say, is, my complete trust in Vince and his team leaves me certain that had Corrie been in that landfill, they would have found him.
‘The peace of mind they have given me is immeasurable. I will no longer picture my son in that landfill.
‘I have been assured that I will now be given updates as to what lines of enquiry have been investigated already and that these along with any thing else that is a reasonable line of enquiry will now be tested again or investigated.’
Suffolk Police said today: ‘Police are content Corrie is not in the landfill areas which have now been searched.’
Detective Superintendent 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.’
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Investigation Team at Suffolk police on 01473 782019 or 101.