Body in a Bin

In 2019 Pat McCormick, a 55-year-old father of four, is reported missing when he fails to come to work one morning.

When detectives speak to Pat’s ex-wife and children, they get a picture of a loving and reliable father. So when he also fails to show up one morning to bring daughter Morgan to school, and no trace of him can be found, all are left gravely concerned.

Officers believe they’re dealing with a missing persons case. But as they dig deeper, they uncover a call made by Pat to police on the night he disappeared.

It is clear from the call that Pat was concerned about his well-being and feared someone was out to get him. With this shocking information, the case is escalated to a possible kidnapping, and detective Heather Campbell is brought in to run the inquiry.

Heather and her team scan hours of CCTV to trace Pat’s movements. They get their first break when footage shows him walking into the flat of his girlfriend, Lesley Ann Dodds, in Comber, County Down. However, he is never seen leaving.

Detectives also discover Lesley Ann is engaged to another man, David Gill, also captured on CCTV in Comber on the night of Pat’s disappearance.

As a complicated love triangle emerges, this missing person case is declared a murder investigation, and the search for Pat’s body begins. But detectives can find no sign of his remains.

If Detective Campbell is to put Pat’s killers behind bars, she and her team must use everything at their disposal, from appeals to the public to cell site analysis and the use of specialist underwater search teams, to find the body. Colin Ferguson, search team leader, gives behind-the-scenes insights into his complex search operation.

Meanwhile, in a heartfelt account, Pat’s daughter Morgan recounts the trauma she and her family endured while waiting for answers.