Was missing RAF airman last seen heading back to base the night he disappeared?
Corrie McKeague, an RAF airman who many fear was kidnapped, may have been last seen heading back towards his base at 4:20am the night he vanished, according to a passing motorist.
McKeague was first reported missing after a night out in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, near the military base at RAF Honington.
He was last seen on CCTV in the town center on September 24.
Police now say a further sighting has been reported by a passing motorist, who said he witnessed a male in light clothing – like those worn by the missing airman – near the Hollow Road industrial estate, heading in the direction of the base.
“Police are currently working to see if this can be confirmed as Corrie, however [we] are continuing to ask anyone who may have seen him anywhere in the area in the early hours of Saturday to come forward,” Suffolk Police said in a statement.
Searches have been carried out to find the RAF Regiment gunner since he failed to appear for parade on Monday, September 26.
On Monday, a former Metropolitan Police detective told ITV it was hard to believe McKeague’s absence was calculated.
“Corrie was happy and had a happy life and it’s hard to disappear without leaving a footprint with social media and banking and even making preparations leaves a footprint. My feeling is that’s not the answer, he hasn’t done this on purpose,” Colin Sutton, who investigated the Millie Dowler murder case, told the channel.
Mystery also surround McKeague’s phone. Police found that the device was used to send a message at 3am, but was later turned off around 13 miles away in the town of Barton Mills.
Police seized a garbage truck on the route matching the phone’s movements and searched garbage dumps in the area, but to no avail.
“The fact it went off at Barton Mills was the reason the police searched the rubbish tip, as the phone was communicating there,” Sutton said.
“The fact it hasn’t been found is unfortunate but searching places like that is very difficult.”
“My guess is the most likely reason for this is that there were other people or a person involved,” he added.
The search continues.
