BBC Scotland documentary looks at ‘The Hunt for Mary McLaughlin’s Killer’

The BBC Scotland channel this coming week look back at the case…

In 1984, 58-year-old Mary McLaughlin was murdered in her home in the west end of Glasgow. Her death triggered a huge police investigation but as this insightful documentary reveals, it would take over three decades and advancements in DNA to solve one of Scotland’s most puzzling cold cases.

“Murdered – it was a word I took a long time to use,” says Mary’s daughter, Gina McGavin. “It wasn’t just a normal death, it was a horrible, horrible, horrendous murder.”

Mother of 11, Mary was last seen walking home from the pub on that fateful night with an unknown man following her. Despite the best efforts of the investigating officers at the time, they couldn’t identify the man, and the trail would run cold for decades.

However, in 2014, advances in DNA profiling gave new hope to cold cases. Police Scotland detectives and forensic scientists re-investigated Mary McLaughlin’s case, sampling items preserved from the original crime scene to try and find her killer.

BBC Scotland, Glasgow

“There are some murders that stay with you. Mary’s murder is one of the more disturbing cold cases that I’ve dealt with,” reveals Senior Forensic Scientist, Joanne Cochrane. “I’d come to know more about Mary McLaughlin than any other murder victim in my career. I do think of Mary’s family, often, and I can’t imagine what they’ve gone through with this.”

As Murder Case highlights, a DNA hit would lead investigators to a potential suspect – but when this person of interest appears to have an iron-clad alibi, it raises more questions than answers.

The one-off documentary features emotional insights from two of Mary’s children – Gina McGavin and Martin Cullen – who admit that their mother’s murder case cast a shadow of suspicion over the whole family. It also includes interviews from both the original 1984 detectives as well as the contemporary Police Scotland detectives and forensics team, who cracked the case to get justice for Mary’s family.

Murder Case: The Hunt for Mary McLaughlin’s Killer airs on the BBC Scotland channel Tuesday at 9 pm

A Firecrest Films production for BBC Scotland.