The mother of missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague has said she still believes someone knows what happened to her son as a £50,000 reward is relaunched.
Nicola Urquhart told members of the Find Corrie group last night that a Suffolk businessman has decided to reissue the substantial sum in the hope it would bring fresh leads to the case.
The reward had originally been offered earlier this year in exchange for information relating to Corrie’s disappearance.
But it was withdrawn in February as hopes were pinned on finding the 23-year-old at a landfill site in Milton, Cambridgeshire.
• Corrie McKeague: What we know about the disappearance of the RAF Honington serviceman, last seen in Bury St Edmunds in September 2016Back in December Corrie’s father Martin McKeague and his grandparents announced that they too would be putting up a five-figure reward in return for information.
The landfill search is currently on hold while an independent review of the case is carried out following proposals by Suffolk police to stop the operation, which has taken several weeks to complete.
The review follows a successful campaign by Corrie’s family to stop the force from filling in the landfill cell and stopping the search altogether.
• Police agree to halt filling in landfill cell after meeting missing Corrie McKeague’s familyPosting in the group last night, Mrs Urquhart said: “From the very first time I spoke publicly about Corrie disappearing I have said someone knows. I still truly believe that.
“Suffolk police have carried out an enormous amount of work to try to find Corrie. “However, they can only continue to do this if they have lines of enquiry and information coming into them.
She added: “(A local businessman) has generously agreed again to put up the life changing £50,000 reward to any person that can provide information that leads to Finding Corrie.
“I would beg that anyone that has information, no matter how insignificant they feel it may be, if you have not already spoken to Suffolk police, or if you tried to call but were not called back, or feel you were not taken seriously at the time.”
She then encouraged the group’s 128,000 members to call the incident room with information.
Earlier this week it emerged police had found material while searching an incinerator in Great Blakenham for traces of Corrie.
This will be tested over the coming weeks to establish if it has any connection to the RAF gunner.
The 23-year-old was last seen on CCTV at 3.24am entering a refuse area off Brentgovel Street, Bury St Edmunds, after a night out.
This section has since become known as the horseshoe area as no person can leave or enter without being caught on camera.
Corrie, whose girlfriend April Oliver gave birth to a baby girl a few months ago, had been based at RAF Honington near Bury St Edmunds for three years before his disappearance.
On the night he went missing, he had been in town drinking with friends.
• Why are police searching incinerated waste for missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague and what do they expect to find?Despite a high-profile public appeal, police believe he may have ended up in a bin lorry.
They said Corrie had a history of falling asleep in unusual places, including inside bins.
A bin lorry was seen on CCTV near Brentgovel Street around the time Corrie was last seen, and it took a route which appeared to coincide with the movements of his phone. The bin lorry linked to the disappearance of Corrie was initially thought to have collected an 11kg (1st 10lb) load, but police said it was later found to be more than 100kg (15st 10lb).
Urging people to get in touch with information, Mrs Urquhart added: “It is never ever too late to do the right thing.
“For your own soul and conscience please come forward, help us to find Corrie, I need my boy home.”
• Anyone with information relating to Corrie’s disappearance should call police on 01473 782019.
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