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‘It was hard not having a grave to visit’: Renee MacRae’s sister on what should happen now

Morag Govans, sister of Renee and surrounded by family, speaks to the press following the case.
Morag Govans, sister of Renee and surrounded by family, speaks to the press following the case.

Morag Govans doesn’t have a grave to visit to remember her younger sister Renee MacRae or her nephew Andrew.

They were murdered by Renee’s secret lover Bill MacDowell at the Dalmagarry lay-by, 12 miles from Inverness on November 12 1976.

This week MacDowell was jailed for life at the High Court in Inverness with a minimum term of 30 years.

Bodies have never been found

The bodies of 36-year-old Renee and three-year-old Andrew have never been found. There has never been a funeral, nor a headstone erected.

Instead, a small memorial plaque attached to a wooden bench in a rural graveyard is all Morag has.

The standard metre-and-a-half red stained seat is located against a wall near the entrance to the Old Wardlaw Cemetery in Kirkhill, nine miles from Inverness.

The inscription on the small brown plate reads: “Cherished memories of my dear Sister and Nephew, Renee and Andrew loved and remembered every day”.

Morag, now 84, lives a 25-minute drive away in Inverness’s Kinmylies area and she goes to Old Wardlaw often.

Her parents and other family members are buried there as they were brought up in the area.

The memorial plaque to Renee MacRae and her son Andrew in the Wardlaw Cemetery, Kirkhill. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

“It was hard not having a grave to visit”, she says. “When it was the anniversary of their death, I tried to go to places we had happy times, Renee and myself.

“If they are ever found, that’s where they will go.

“I certainly wouldn’t go to Dalmagarry lay-by, that’s for sure.”

The judge, Lord Armstrong, described the killings as “executions”, that were “premeditated and planned in the most calculated way”.

MacDowell also set Renee’s BMW car on fire and disposed of their belongings including his child’s pushchair.

Where are Renee and Andrew’s bodies?

Morag is still waiting for the answer to a question that remains after the verdict and sentencing brought the 46-year-old infamous case to a conclusion – where are Renee and Andrew?

“I’m delighted we got justice for Renee and Andrew. We waited a long, long time for it”, she said.

“But I would like to know, like MacDowell to tell us, where Renee and Andrew are so we can lay them to rest where we want them to be.”

She said of the verdict: “I never thought this day would come. I think it will take a few days for it to really sink in.

The plaque is on a bench in the cemetery visited regularly by Renee’s sister. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

“I’m delighted the jury made the right decision.

“I never gave up hope, you always have to have hope.

“But after all this time I didn’t think this day would come. I didn’t think I would ever see him being found guilty.”

She paid tribute to her husband Bill, son Ross and Andrew’s brother Gordon, as well as other members of the family for their support.

She also thanked Brian Geddes, the detective in charge of the case, and police family liaison officer, Ruth Mason, who she said was a constant comfort and she kept her updated with the latest developments.

Morag Govans with Detective Chief Inspector Brian Geddes.

“The police put an awful lot of work in, they really did and I can’t thank them enough.

“And I’m so delighted for them, they deserve a lot of credit.”

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