SUSPICIOUS DEATH
CASE #: 1988-48
Stephen McKerron
Status:
Open
Date of Death:
Date of Death:
Jurisdiction:
Death Location:
Ayr, Scotland
Summary:
Stephen McKerron, a 5-year-old from Hamilton, Scotland, vanished from a Butlins holiday camp in Ayr on September 17, 1988, and was found dead in a ditch six miles away in the Carrick Hills on October 3, 1988. A fatal incident inquiry found death by natural causes, but questions remain.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Death:
On September 17, 1988, 5-year-old Stephen McKerron vanished from the camp whilst on holiday with his aunt and uncle. Within half an hour of arriving at the 110-acre complex, he was reported missing. His father said he was wearing a tracksuit and training shoes. Initial concerns that Stephen may have been abducted were offset by a key witness who stated she saw him climb the six-and-a-half-foot perimeter fence around the complex. This led to the largest ever missing child hunt by Scottish Police, as 200 officers searched the camp and a six-mile radius from the camp. The public, police, and Royal Navy (who provided a search helicopter with infrared sensors) conducted a large-scale search. Lady MacLehose, 68, from Beoch, Maybole was walking her dog on the Carrick Hills on Sunday, October 2, and found Stephen's body curled up in a ditch.
Additional Details:
Eyewitness Mr. Stuart Reid, 51, a video dealer, saw Stephen walking along the road hand-in-hand with a man. Mr. Reid said the man was warmly clad and the child was wearing only a t-shirt, which struck him as strange. Mr. Reid said he only saw the profile of the boy and said it could have been him whilst he was provided with a photo of Stephen at the Court inquest. A second eyewitness, Mr. Bryan Wilcox, 24, from Ayrshire, a domestic appliance engineer, saw a man and a boy as he drove on a single-track road which cuts across the Carrick Hills. The post-mortem revealed that Stephen had died due to exposure. At a later date during the inquest, it was decided that strangulation could not be ruled out due to lack of tissue on the partly decomposed body. The pathologist could only say that there were no ligature marks on the back of the neck. Despite a fatal incident inquiry finding death by natural causes, questions remain as to how Stephen was able to walk so far by himself. His family said that it didn't seem possible that he could have walked all the way there on his own.
Case Last Updated:
Associated Persons
Unknown U. (Person of Interest) - Unknown
Case Content Disclaimer: The details on this case page are sourced from numerous locations to include family, friends, news postings and government public releases. Solve the Case, Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy of any content as case pages are living documents that frequently update as case details expand.
