Expert called upon to crack case

Carol Lannen's body was found in woods in Dundee in 1979

A behavioural expert investigating the murder of a Dundee teenager 25 years ago has said detectives are moving closer to the killer.

Chuck Burton is working with Tayside Police as they try to solve the March 1979 death of Carol Lannen.

Miss Lannen, 18, was found dumped in the city's Templeton Woods.

Mr Burton said he believed the murderer had a connection with the Aberdeenshire area, probably knew Carol and may have been single and transient.

The expert joined detectives on the banks of the River Don, near Kintore, Aberdeenshire, as part of the reopened probe.

Carol's handbag containing some of her clothes was recovered there 11 days after her death.

The choice to throw the handbag in the water is the offender's alone as he has an established relationship with the location which could be through work, leisure or criminality Chuck Burton Behavioural expert

The investigation forms part of an inquiry into the unsolved murders of women across Scotland.

Mr Burton, who has previously assisted in the high-profile Sarah Payne and Soham murder cases, has been examining the papers of the original case for the last month in order to build up a profile of the person who killed her.

He said: "People who throw evidence from the victim away at other locations generally have an established relationship with that location.

"The choice to throw the handbag in the water is the offender's alone as he has an established relationship with the location which could be through work, leisure or criminality.

"We are looking through the details of the original inquiry for individuals who have links to both Dundee and Aberdeenshire."

Mr Burton added that it was likely Carol knew her killer.

Previous convictions

"We believe she got into a vehicle with the offender the night before her body was found and when she was found there was no blunt trauma, so it is likely to be someone that she had a relationship with," he said.

"It is a 75% chance that this person is single and is someone who is transient and does not have time constrictions."

We have already received a number of interesting calls from residents in the area Detective Chief Inspector Roddy Ross

Mr Burton said it was likely that whoever murdered Carol had previous convictions and was likely to have been in the 25 to 49 age bracket at the time of the murder.

Tayside Police are also reinvestigating the murder of Elizabeth McCabe, a nursery nurse from Dundee, whose body was also found in Templeton Woods in February 1980.

Mr Burton said his "gut feeling" was that the murderer of Miss Lannen and Miss McCabe was not the same person, but that police could not completely rule out that possibility, given the proximity of where their bodies were found.

Mr Burton was a detective for 26 years and specialises in cases involving the murders of children and young people and will advise the investigating team on the characteristics Carol's killer may possess.

'Wealth of experience'

In Scotland he has assisted Grampian Police with their investigation into missing Elgin woman Arlene Fraser and Northern Constabulary with the Renee MacRae case.

Detective Chief Inspector Roddy Ross, a senior officer working on the case, said: "Mr Burton has a wealth of experience in murder inquiries and is passing on valuable information to the inquiry team members.

"We are confident that whoever threw Carol's bag in the River Don had some connection with the Kintore, Kemnay or Alford areas, either through family, recreation or employment.

"As a result of previous appeals in the media, we have already received a number of interesting calls from residents in the area but we would still like to hear of anyone who was known to frequent Dundee and the Kintore, Kemnay or Alford areas."