Home / Crime and Justice / Killer Bought Land Months Before Murder
Killer Bought Land Months Before Murder
29 Mar
Summary
- MacDowell purchased nearly 11 acres of forest land in April 1976.
- Renee Macrae and her son Andrew were murdered seven months later.
- A new search for the victims' remains is currently underway.
William MacDowell, who was convicted in 2022 for the 1976 murders of his lover Renee Macrae and their three-year-old son Andrew, had purchased a significant parcel of land months prior to the crimes. Documents reveal that MacDowell and his wife acquired 10.81 acres of forest at Nairnside, near Inverness, on April 5, 1976. This purchase occurred approximately seven months before he committed the murders on November 12, 1976.
The victims, Renee Macrae and her son Andrew, disappeared in 1976, and their remains have never been recovered. MacDowell, who died less than five months into his prison sentence, took the secret of their burial to his grave. Police and Army experts are now conducting a new, intensive search of the land MacDowell purchased and adjacent areas, utilizing drones and advanced scanning technology to pinpoint potential burial sites.
Renee Macrae had been having an affair with MacDowell, who was her company's secretary. She was separated from her husband. MacDowell lured Macrae and their son to their deaths with false promises of moving to Shetland. The last known trace of the mother and child was Renee's BMW, found burnt out with a spot of blood in the boot.
Detective Superintendent Brian Geddes stated the case remains unresolved until Renee and Andrew are found, and the results of the current search will determine if further activity is necessary. The Armed Forces' contribution to this extensive missing persons investigation has been acknowledged.
