A cold case unit has launched a fresh investigation into the brutal murder of north-east father Colin Adamson.
In a new bid to discover what happened to the Aberdeen University graduate 40 years ago, the Scottish Cold Case Unit at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) is reviewing the death as part of an international project which involves universities and police forces working together.
Colin Adamson, who switched from teaching to the oil and gas sector, was living in Aberchirder with his wife, Babs, his son, Evan, six, and daughter, Gillian, two, when he was sent to West Germany by his employer, Sedco.
However, he was killed on December 18, just a few days before he was scheduled to return to Scotland for Christmas.
It emerged his body had been found in the boot of a burned-out rented car in the woods at Groshehlen, a few miles from Celle – a German town about 31 miles north -east of Hanover.
And, despite an extensive police investigation throughout the region, the authorities were unable to make any breakthrough in the case.
Colin Adamson’s son says he’s never lost hope for justice for his dad
The victim’s son Evan Adamson told the Press & Journal the review began earlier this month.
He said: “It feels a bit surreal after all this time, but it’s obviously good news that there are going to be fresh eyes on this case.
“I’ve been looking into the death of my dad for many years and, even at this stage, it’s possible the person or people responsible for his murder could still be caught.
“It was a great shock to us when Dad didn’t come home and I have tried to find out more, but we still have no real idea what happened over there all those years ago.
“However, this is definitely a step forward and we will have to see what unfolds.”
International collaboration could find Colin Adamson’s killer four decades on
GCU set up its cold case unit, which is made up of students and academic staff, in 2021 to help investigate a wide range of crimes, initially focusing on missing persons.
Since then, criminology students have reviewed case files and searched for new evidence, working alongside the families of missing loved ones and specialists in investigation, forensic science and intelligence analysis.
They will review Colin Adamson’s case as part of an International Cold Case Analysis Project (ICCAP) to examine the grim circumstances behind the death of the 33-year-old, whose funeral was held at Woodside Church in Aberdeen on December 30.
ICCAP is an international collaboration between universities and police forces that provides a review service for cases involving missing and unidentified people and homicides. The Police Academy of Lower Saxony are among the authorities involved.
Students from GCU have been involved with ICCAP since 2021 and have reviewed 18 cases to date.
Victim’s son finds new hope from other cold cases being solved, like Renee MacRae murder
Colin’s son Evan, who lives in Aberdeen, added: “We have seen recently that other cases, including the murder of Renee MacRae [and her son Andrew] in 1976 have been solved, even though they happened decades ago.
“It’s too early to know what will come of this, but even if we find out the sequence of events which led to my Dad being killed, that will be a step forward.
“I don’t want to get too excited, because I’ve looked into this myself for so long.
“But it does feel that things are falling into place and the main thing is to get justice for Dad. I always think about it at this time of year, but this is a positive development.”
Professor Lesley McMillan, co-director of the Scottish Cold Case Unit at GCU, told the P&J: “We will review the case as part of an International Cold Case Analysis Project (ICCAP), which will be conducted in association with Locate International, Amber Alert Europe and a range of international partners.
“We will undertake a comprehensive review to identify any further investigative opportunities.”
Conversation