TIMELINE TO TRIAL: The disappearance of Renee and Andrew MacRae

Renee MacRae and her three-year-old son went missing more than 40 years ago.

Here the Inverness Courier recants the various milestones over the four decades since which finally led to a court appearance of William MacDowell.

• November 12, 1976 Renee and Andrew MacRae are last seen in public during the afternoon when dropping her elder son off with her estranged husband Gordon MacRae who owned a housebuilding firm. Later that night Renee's burnt out BMW is found in a lay-by at Dalmagarry after being spotted on fire.
• November 15, 1976 Concerns are raised when Renee fails to pick up her elder son from school. Her sister Morag Govans is phoned by Mr MacRae but she tells him she does not know where she is - sparking a missing persons investigation.
• November 18, 1976 Wiliam MacDowell, the accountant for Mr MacRae's company reveals he was Renee's secret lover leading to his dismissal from the firm. More than 100 officers are involved in the search in the weeks that followed.
• 1977 Leanach quarry near Inverness is searched by divers. It was known as a fly-tipping spot. The search proves fruitless.
• 1998 A bank card marked R MacRae is unearthed during ground work in Bank Road Inverness but it proves to be a red herring and belonged to someone with a similar name.
• 2004 Dalmagarry quarry which had been searched during the original investigation is looked at again with thousands of tonnes of soil removed and sifted through in the hopes of finding a fresh clue.
• 2016 A report is sent by police to prosecutors naming a suspect in the disappearance but it is dropped by prosecutors who claim there is a lack of evidence.
• October 2018 Police return to Leanach quarry with a remotely operated vehicle but the underwater search proves fruitless. Meanwhile officers appeal again to the public for information.
• May 2019 Water is pumped from Leanach quarry in a bid to make the search easier.
• September 2019 William MacDowell, then aged 77, is charged with two counts of murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He appears in Inverness Sheriff Court and makes no plea.
• September 12, 2022 MacDowell goes on trial at the High Court in Inverness.
• September 28, 2022 Closing speeches are hear in court by the jury.

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