'Horrific' Cheese Wire Murder Hunt Focuses on 200 DNA Profiles, 41 Years After Death of Taxi Driver

09/27/2024 10:46 AM

George Murdoch, 58, was murdered in Sept. 1983, but no arrests have yet been made

• Police have announced a "significant" breakthrough in a murder case involving a 58-year-old taxi driver who was killed in an attack involving a cheese wire in Scotland on Sept. 29, 1983
• Officers have confirmed 200 potential leads — none of which are being treated as suspects yet — ahead of the 41st anniversary of George Murdoch's death
• The update is thanks to "advancements in forensic science," allowing police to do further tests on DNA, per a Police Scotland Facebook post

Police searching for a person who killed a taxi driver in 1983 — using a cheese wire in the attack — have announced "a significant development in the case" 41 years later.

George Murdoch, 58 — known as "Dod" by loved ones — was killed in Aberdeen, Scotland "as he turned into the Pitfoldels Station Road area of the city" on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 29, 1983, Police Scotland North East explained in a Facebook post this week.

Officers confirmed "a cheese wire was used in the attack," but haven't stated if that's how Murdoch died.

As it nears the 41st anniversary since Murdoch's death, officers confirmed they'd compiled "an initial list of 200 possible genetic matches" to try and establish a family tie linking one of them to the scene.

However, police insisted that didn't mean any of the 200 listed were suspects at this time. Nobody has been arrested in connection with the case as of yet.

According to the BBC, Murdoch's money and wallet were stolen in the attack, but a motive for the murder remains unknown.

In the Facebook post, Police Scotland said that "advancements in forensic science had led to a DNA profile from the scene being identified," and that officers were now able to "search for anyone related to the DNA sample, known as familial DNA," including identifying "potential close relatives of an individual when their DNA profile is not on the [National DNA] database."

"Familial DNA searching is based upon the principle that DNA is inherited and all members of a family share certain aspects of their DNA. Children share half their DNA from their father and half with their mother," the post explained, adding, "The extent to which siblings share their DNA is variable, but they will tend to share more DNA than unrelated people."

"This new DNA data is significant and will help take us a step closer to getting justice for Mr Murdoch's family," Detective Inspector James Callander said, per the Facebook post.

"The familial DNA links identified will assist in tracing people who can help with our enquiries. I want to make clear, these individuals are not suspects, but we hope they may be able to help with our ongoing investigation," Callander added.

He continued, "I would ask everyone to think back to when George was murdered. If you have any concerns at all from around that time, please don't dismiss them and contact us."

"The solving of this horrific crime requires the help of the public. I would urge anyone with information to please come forward. We want to give George's family some much-needed closure," Callander concluded.

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The victim's family added in a statement, "This latest development with the familial DNA is a huge leap forward and we thank the police for their continued endeavor in getting to this stage."

"It is very encouraging and refreshes our hope that we can finally identify who is responsible for Dod's murder," they continued, per the post.

Murdoch was survived by his wife Jessie, but she later died in 2004, according to the BBC. The outlet stated the victim's nephew, Alex McKay — who was 26 when the murder happened — was "beyond delighted" by the latest DNA update.

"Please be as open as you possibly can. It's the killer they are targeting," he urged the public, stating he "daydreamed" about getting closure following his uncle's death.

Police are still looking to "identify a man who was seen wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt in Wilson's Sports Bar on Market Street in Aberdeen in 2015," after launching a public appeal in 2022.

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