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Killer Dies in Prison Years After Brutal 1976 Murder
15 Apr
Summary
- Convicted murderer William MacDowell died in prison from cancer and liver cirrhosis.
- He was jailed in September 2022 for the 1976 murders of Renee MacRae and son.
- The victims' bodies were never found, and a search of MacDowell's former home recently occurred.
William MacDowell, convicted of the 1976 murders of Renee MacRae and their three-year-old son Andrew, died in custody at Forth Valley Hospital in February 2023. The inquiry found he succumbed to cardiac failure, hypertension, alcoholic liver cirrhosis, and lymphoma, having received end-of-life care. He was jailed in September 2022, with a minimum 30-year sentence, after being found guilty of killing the mother and child and disposing of their bodies. The FAI confirmed MacDowell received compassionate care and no actions could have prevented his death.
MacRae and Andrew vanished on November 12, 1976, and their bodies have never been found. Renee's car was discovered burned in a lay-by near Inverness. MacDowell, from Penrith, was known to palliative care services before his imprisonment. He arrived at Glenochil prison with a prognosis of only weeks to months. Police recently conducted a 10-day search around his former home, indicating ongoing efforts to find answers for the family.
