Murderer died in hospital from cancer and liver cirrhosis

An investigation has revealed that William MacDowell, convicted of murdering his partner Renee MacRae and their young son Andrew in 1976, died in hospital due to cancer and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. MacDowell passed away at Forth Valley Hospital in February 2023, only a few months after receiving his jail sentence for the killings.

At 81 years old, MacDowell was under end-of-life care prior to imprisonment, a fact recognized by healthcare providers in Carlisle. The mandatory Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) was initiated as his death occurred while he was still in custody. The inquiry also noted that a do not resuscitate order had been established in August 2022 before he was incarcerated.

Following his sentencing, MacDowell was initially held at HMP Grampian but was later moved to Glenochil prison to better accommodate his medical needs. He arrived with a prognosis of only weeks or a few months to live and continued to receive palliative care while incarcerated. When his condition worsened, he was transferred to the hospital on February 7, where prison officers maintained a 24-hour guard, although he was not restrained by handcuffs. MacDowell died on February 15, with his death attributed to cardiac failure, hypertension, alcoholic liver cirrhosis, and lymphoma.

Sheriff Euan Gosney, overseeing the inquiry, concluded that MacDowell had been treated with compassion and found no evidence suggesting that different measures could have prevented his death. MacDowell was convicted in September 2022 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years for the murders of Renee, 36, and their three-year-old son Andrew. Despite denying the charges, he was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Inverness. During sentencing, the presiding judge described the crimes as apparently premeditated and executed “in a most calculating way,” characterizing the killings as essentially executions where MacDowell disposed of the bodies and took deliberate steps to evade detection.

Renee MacRae and Andrew went missing on November 12, 1976, with Renee’s car discovered burned out later that night on the A9 near Inverness. At the time, MacDowell, also known as Bill MacDowell and residing near Inverness, worked as company secretary for a building firm owned by Renee’s estranged husband, Gordon MacRae. Police have affirmed their ongoing commitment to pursuing all investigative avenues to provide answers to the family of Renee and Andrew MacRae

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