Police ScotlandA Fatal Accident Inquiry is to be held into the death of a man who was convicted of murdering his lover and their three-year-old son decades after the crime.
Renee MacRae, 36, and her three-year-old son Andrew were murdered by William MacDowell after they disappeared from their home in Inverness on November 12, 1976.
Their remains have never been found.
MacDowell was found guilty of their murders at the High Court in Inverness in September 2022 at the age of 80.
He was held at HMP Glenochil following his conviction and had been receiving palliative care, before being transferred to Forth Valley Royal Hospital after his health deteriorated.
He died in hospital in February 2023.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has now lodged a First Notice to begin the court process for a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the death of MacDowell.
As MacDowell was in legal custody and in the care of the state at the time of his death, an FAI into his death is mandatory.
A Preliminary Hearing will be held on January 7 at Stirling Sheriff Court.
The purpose of an FAI includes determining the cause of death; the circumstances in which the death occurred, and to establish what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.
Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.
Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the death of William MacDowell occurred while in legal custody and as such a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.
“The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.”
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