Corrie McKeague: what we know about the missing airman

Yesterday, the family of missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague retraced his last known steps, one year after he vanished during a night out in Bury St Edmunds.

In the 12 months since McKeague was last seen, his girlfriend has given birth to his daughter, police have given up searching a landfill site and his mother, Nicola, has put up a £50,000 reward for information.

Who is Corrie McKeague?

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A 23-year-old RAF gunner from Dunfermline, McKeague vanished on 24 September 2016 in Bury St Edmunds, the Suffolk town near RAF Honington where he had been stationed since joining up in 2013.

What happened that night?

After drinking with friends on a Saturday night out, McKeague – a lively and sociable figure – was captured on CCTV eating fast food on his own. He had been refused admission to a nightclub because he appeared intoxicated.

Where was he last spotted?

The final CCTV images show McKeague walking into a backstreet called The Horseshoe, to which there is only one route in or out. He was reported missing when he failed to turn up for work on Monday morning.

What was the mobile phone evidence?

McKeague’s mobile phone was traced to a route matching that of a bin lorry, so it was suggested he had gone to sleep in a large bin and had been removed with rubbish later.

What happened next?

Electronic records showed the bin lorry had been carrying only 33lb of rubbish, and McKeague weighs 200lb, so police worked on the theory that he had never been in the lorry or had climbed out before it reached the tip.

So why did they search the tip?

In March this year, it emerged that the record of the bin lorry’s weight was incorrect and McKeague could have been inside. Police searched the landfill site for 20 weeks but found nothing.

Is Corrie McKeague still alive?

Police say the investiagtion is still active, the BBC reports, but believe the most likely explanation is that McKeague was taken to the landfill site while asleep or dead in the bin. They say his body may never be found.

What happened yesterday?

Nicola McKeague and other family members travelled to Bury St Edmunds yesterday, one year to the day since Corrie McKeague was last seen. They spent 90 minutes retracing his last known movements, followed by supporters.

According to the Daily Mail, Nicola McKeague told the crowd: “I’m a mum, I’m his mum, and believe me, if it were up to me I would go into every building and search every room myself.

“I want that more than you can imagine - you can’t imagine how badly I want to go in and find him.”

She added: “I don’t believe he’s alive now, I know that it’s not likely.”