Bag find clue over Dundee murder

Forensic experts are involved in the murder cases

Police investigating the murders of two young women in Dundee 25 years ago are hunting a person who dumped a bag in the River Don.

Tayside detectives are examining the deaths of Carol Lannen, 18, and 20-year-old Elizabeth McCabe.

Carol's bag was recovered from the river, 11 days after she disappeared.

Detective Chief Inspector Ewen West said whoever dumped the bag must have been in the Kemnay area, north of Aberdeen, for a reason.

The bodies of both women were found in Dundee's Templeton Woods.

A family rafting on the River Don recovered Carol's handbag on the banks at Kintore, 17 miles north of Aberdeen.

Whoever dumped Carol's bag in the river must have had a reason to be in Kemnay area and were in the area for a purpose DCI Ewen West

Detectives are combing the area in the belief that whoever threw the bag into the river had a reason to be in the Kemnay area.

DCI West said: "A bag similar to Carol's was seen in the water by two local men who were fishing the River Don near to Ton Burn, a mile or two upstream from Kemnay.

"They saw the bag on the Saturday afternoon, four days after Carol's disappearance.

"It could be that the handbag had gone into the river on the night Carol went missing, or any time over the course of the four days that followed.

'Remote location'

"I believe that because of its relatively remote location, whoever dumped Carol's bag in the river must have had a reason to be in the Kemnay area and were in the area for a purpose."

He said the stretch of river was a popular fishing location and attracted a lot of people.

"I would urge anyone who can remember individuals who either lived in, worked, or visited the Kemnay area of Aberdeenshire and who had connections with Dundee to let us know so we can eliminate them from our enquiries," DCI West added.

Taxi driver

Carol was last seen getting into a red car on Dundee's Exchange Street at about 2000 GMT on Tuesday, 20 March, 1979.

The force said it had received two separate calls regarding the conduct of a taxi driver who operated in the city in the early 1980s.

Both callers apparently said his behaviour had given them "cause for concern".

Renewing his appeal to help trace the driver, DCI West said: "Despite several appeals, this male has never come forward and we are extremely eager to speak to him.

"I have no doubts whatsoever that he holds vital information in relation to Carol's disappearance."

Detectives are still looking for the driver of a blue Range Rover, who called at Carol's old address a day before she was killed, and the driver of a red-coloured car who gave Carol a lift home the previous weekend.