| Ernie Leith, of Kintore, near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, said he remembered “clear as anything” the day the bag was discovered by his late father Ernest on the banks of the River Don in 1979.
Police have revealed they are linking the death of the teenager to six others across Scotland in the late 1970s and early 1980s — including the murder of another Dundee woman, Elizabeth McCabe — and a large-scale inquiry is under way.
Mr Leith said today, “My dad would have been very pleased about what is happening just now, because he could never understand why the bag was left outside the house.
“It was a subject that was brought up from time to time over the years and it was frustrating the killer was never caught.
“My dad always said that he hoped some new information would come up which would solve the case and maybe they’ve got a chance now.”
Mr Leith, who lost his father to cancer last year, aged 77, said they had always thought the death of Carol Lannen may have been linked to others.
Mr Leith senior found the bag near Kintore while watching Ernie and his brother James using their newly-built raft.
The bag, thought to have been washed up after being dumped in the river, contained clothes and other personal items.
Mr Leith said, “I remember everything that happened as clear as anything, him finding the handbag and opening it up.
“We used to find lots of things in that area once the floods had gone away. But when he opened the bag there was underwear, money and a child allowance book.”
The Leith family initially thought the discovery related to a suicide and it was only after the bag was taken to the police station at Inverurie the truth became known.
“The police immediately took over the scene and started to search the river,” added Mr Leith. “They searched for miles and must’ve been at it for a few days.”
The body of Carol Lannen was dumped at Templeton Woods in Dundee. Less than a year later, Elizabeth McCabe’s body was found a short distance away.
The police inquiry team working on those two deaths and five others received a flood of calls over the weekend. Officers from Lothian and Borders, Strathclyde and Tayside have set up a joint squad to investigate the killings after sophisticated new scientific techniques suggested they might be linked.
Detective Chief Inspector Roddy Ross, Tayside’s senior investigating officer, said the force had received a number of calls although he was unable to put an exact figure on them.
He said there was huge interest in the cases and a determination to bring those responsible to justice. All calls will be processed by the incident room to see what they contained and whether it might be crucial. |
