• The British army joins police in hunt for remains from decades-old murder
• The operation aims to locate the burial site of a mother and her son nearly 50 years after their deaths

British police are calling on Army specialists to assist in a renewed search for the remains of a mother and her young son, victims of a murder that occurred almost half a century ago.

Renee MacRae’s car was found ablaze near Dalmagarry Quarry, south of Inverness, on November 12, 1976, with no trace of her or her three-year-old son, Andrew.

Her partner, William MacDowell, 81, was convicted of their murders in 2022 but died a few months later without revealing the location of their bodies.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the Army is providing expert support to Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency, though the exact search site has not yet been confirmed.

Detective Superintendent Brian Geddes said: “Our investigation into the murders of Renee and Andrew continues, and officers are following all available leads.”

Earlier investigations included searches of moorlands and flooded quarries, with the case reopened several times over the past four decades. The Dalmagarry Quarry was examined during the initial inquiry and again in 2004, with 35,000 tonnes of soil and 2,000 trees removed over three weeks.

Last year, another search at the same site uncovered a child’s potty and a carpet, and other locations, including Blackfold above Loch Ness, Inverfarigaig, Nairnside, and Daviot, have also been examined.

MacDowell was sentenced in September 2022 to life imprisonment with a minimum of 30 years. The trial revealed that the discovery of MacRae’s car had exposed his illicit relationship with her, which she believed was a meeting for a weekend getaway before moving to Shetland.

MacDowell died in February 2023 at Forth Valley Royal Hospital while in custody at HMP Glenochil in Alloa, due to cancer and liver damage.