Shivangi Sinha
In 2020, when Caroline Muirhead started dating Alexander McKellar, she didn’t know that it would completely disrupt her life. A few months into the relationship, he told her that he had been involved in a hit-and-run, and instead of seeking help, had buried the man. Realizing she had to act, Caroline went to the police, and over the following months, assisted them by recording conversations and helping build the case, often at great personal cost. In Netflix’s ‘Should I Marry a Murderer?,’ she opens up about her experience, including her most vulnerable moments, and shares her story without holding anything back.
Caroline Muirhead Was Engaged to Alexander McKellar When He Confessed His Crime
Caroline Muirhead was welcomed into the home of her parents, Margaret and Stephen Muirhead, with great love. They lived in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised their daughter with care and support. She was always strong academically and curious, eventually building a career as a pathologist. She worked for a long time at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital mortuary and was very satisfied with her profession. Caroline had been in a long-term relationship through most of her 20s, and by her 29th birthday in 2020, she felt content with her life. However, just as she was looking forward to buying a home and settling down with a new partner, she went through a breakup.
It was extremely heartbreaking for her, and after some time, Caroline decided to start dating again. Her work did not give her much opportunity to meet or interact with people, so she joined a dating app and was ready to meet someone new. In the fall of 2020, she matched with Alexander “Sandy” McKellar. He lived farther away on a farm at Auch Estate in Argyll with his twin brother, Robert McKellar. The two were farmers, and it was also a hunting estate. He invited her to visit the farm, which was about a two-hour drive, and Caroline, feeling hopeful, went. With him, she felt like she had found a partner, and they began spending a lot of time together. She said that things developed very quickly between them, and they soon declared their love for each other.
In November 2020, during a conversation with family, Alexander casually asked Caroline if she would want to marry him, and she was ecstatic. Her friends and family felt she was rushing into things, but were ready to support her if that was what she wanted. However, one day while the two of them were on a drive, Caroline asked him if he had any secrets she should know as they were planning a life together. He paused and told her that on September 29, 2017, he and his brother, Robert, were returning from a party when they hit a cyclist on the highway. He said that instead of reporting it, they buried the man’s remains on their farm.
Caroline Muirhead Helped the Police Locate Tony Parsons’ Remains
Caroline Muirhead immediately searched the news and discovered that a man named Tony Parsons, a 63-year-old former Royal Navy submariner, charity cyclist, and cancer survivor, had disappeared in the area after setting off on a 100-mile ride from Fort William toward Tillicoultry. Caroline said she was very scared, and because of the attachment she still felt toward Alexander McKellar, she did not inform the police right away. She even brought him to her parents’ home for the holidays, but soon she could not hold it in any longer. In late 2020, she contacted the police and reported the confession he had made to her.
The police did not have enough evidence at the time, so they were unable to arrest Alexander and Robert McKellar immediately. However, they asked Caroline if she had any idea where the remains might be buried. The estate was vast, and finding the exact spot without guidance would have been nearly impossible. Caroline took a risk, and the next time she went shooting with Alexander, she asked him about the location. He showed her the spot, and as they walked away, she discreetly dropped and crushed a can of sugar-free Red Bull to mark the area. She was also able to share Alexander’s live location when he went out to a party away from the farm, and before the year ended, both brothers were arrested.
Caroline said that she was scared for her life and did not want to stay with her parents and put them in danger, so she went back to her own apartment and stayed there alone. She was later told by the police that Alexander and Robert had been released because the remains had not yet been found. Very soon, they contacted her. Caroline feared her cover had been blown, but Alexander did not suspect her and even stayed at her apartment. She recorded several of their conversations over the weeks, including one in which he allegedly described that Parsons was still alive when they returned to the farm before being buried. In the meantime, a team of forensic specialists searched the area, and on January 12, 2021, Parsons’ remains were discovered at the location Caroline had marked.
Caroline Muirhead Returned to Alexander McKellar’s Farm After the Remains Had Been Found
It was shortly after that Caroline Muirhead’s cover was compromised when a police officer recognized her in front of the brothers. She managed to dismiss their doubts for a while, but when a friend informed Alexander McKellar about the can found at the site, he called Caroline and threatened her. She said she was extremely frightened, and things soon became more difficult. As Tony Parsons’ remains were brought to the same hospital where she worked, she was placed on temporary leave. She later described experiencing serious mental health struggles during this period and withdrew to her parents’ home. At the same time, she and Alexander resumed contact, and he reportedly apologized to her for involving her in the situation.
Caroline explained that she was in a fragile mental state and felt that the only place she was needed was with Alexander. She decided to move to his farm and admitted that the months that followed were a blur. They were admittedly filled with drinking and recreational drug use, during which she felt she was losing herself. However, one day, when she spoke to Alexander about the incident and he showed no remorse, she said it was like a wake-up call. She chose to leave the farm and return to her parents’ home. Around that time, prosecutors were preparing for the trial, and she was unsure if she was ready to face the perpetrators.
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Caroline Muirhead is Living in a New State With Her Partner Today
Caroline Muirhead said she was soon notified by prosecutors that her decision not to testify could result in her being charged with contempt of court, potentially leading to prison time. She stated that she felt she was at the worst phase of her life and blamed herself for ruining her parents’ lives as well. She said she became increasingly dependent on drugs, and in July 2023, it was time for her to testify. She explained that the nerves became overwhelming, and instead of going to court, she went to the farm in a desperate attempt to find Tony Parsons’ bike, which Alexander “Sandy” McKellar had allegedly admitted was thrown into a waterfall and had not been recovered by police.
It was there that Caroline was arrested. She said she was told she would be held in contempt of court and that she would be kept behind bars overnight. The next day, when Alexander made a guilty plea, she was released and no charges were filed against her, as a trial was no longer required due to his plea. Caroline later alleged that police failed to provide her with victim support as required under Scottish law, arguing that intimate partners acting as witnesses should also be treated as vulnerable witnesses.
She alleged she had not been provided with adequate resources for help. Her allegations led to a lengthy investigation, but no shortcomings were found in police conduct. Caroline has since shared that she has found a new partner and moved to the other side of the country. She has worked on rebuilding her relationship with her parents and family and is now sober. She says she is happier with how her life has turned out and is taking things one step at a time.
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