Inquiry to be launched into death of Renee and Andrew MacRae murderer

An inquiry will be held into the death of a murderer who killed his Highland lover and son almost 50 years ago.

William MacDowell died in February 2023 - less than five months after being convicted for the deaths of Renee and three-year-old Andrew MacRae in 1976

Their bodies have never been found.

81-year-old MacDowell, of Penrith, Cumbria, was an inmate at HMP Glenochil near Stirling and had been receiving palliative care while in custody.

As his health deteriorated, he was transferred to Forth Valley Royal Hospital on February 7th 2023, where he died eight days later.

MacDowell denied murdering Ms MacRae and their son at the Dalmagarry layby, south of Inverness, on November 12th, 1976 - in a trial which lasted nearly two weeks.

He was given a life sentence after being found guilty by a jury at the High Court in Inverness in Sepetember 2022.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into MacDowell's death is mandatory as he was in the state's care at the time of his death.

A Preliminary Hearing will be held on January 7th at Stirling Sheriff Court.  

The purpose of an FAI includes determining the cause of death; the circumstances in which the death occurred, and to establish what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.  

Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.

Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: "The Lord Advocate considers that the death of William MacDowell occurred while in legal custody and as such a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.  

“The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.”