A suspect in the brutal murder of a Scottish nurse at a religious college in the US 33 years ago will not face charges, prosecutors have announced.
Elizabeth Mackintosh, 50, was found strangled with a cord and stabbed in the neck in the toilets of a chapel at the Covenant Theological Seminary in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in March 1990.
Miss Mackintosh, the daughter of a former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, was originally from Edinburgh and was studying at the seminary for a degree in counselling.
Read more - Edinburgh dad hits out at 'misinformation' by locals as he defends new active travel route
Police launched a major murder probe at the time of her death but no one has ever been brought to justice for the killing and the case remains unsolved.
Earlier this year the Creve Coeur Police Department said they were hopeful of bringing charges against Michael Johnson, who was also a student at the seminary at the time.
Johnson, now 67, was Miss Mackintosh's supervisor for her cleaning duties at the college and the pair had an argument in the days before the killing.
He was questioned at the time of the original investigation but has never been charged. Detectives submitted a file on Johnson to local prosecutors following a cold case review into the killing.
However, the St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has now said there is a lack of sufficient evidence to charge him with the murder.
The fresh investigation was filmed for American true crime documentary series Cold Justice and showed detectives reviewing correspondence between Johnson and Miss Mackintosh days before the murder.
In a memo he chastised her for not following the chain of command about the cleaning supplies. In her response, she stood up for herself and corrected spelling errors in his memo.
In the documentary, Johnson was confronted by investigators as he left his job at a home improvement store in Tomball, Texas.
He refused to discuss the case in detail but admitted he had gone to the chapel on the day of the murder to speak to Miss Mackintosh.
He said: "I've dealt with police before and any time I've talked to police it has not gone well. I know that anything I say can, and it was, used against me.
"I just walked through the hall. I mean I walked by the bathroom but I didn't go in the bathroom. I went to talk to her about the whole issue with the bathroom. I think we have talked too much."
Miss Mackintosh worked as a cleaner at the college to earn money while studying and was attacked while cleaning the men's toilets in the chapel. She was beaten, strangled, and stabbed in the neck. There was no sign of sexual assault.
Miss Mackintosh was the daughter of former Free Church Moderator Rev Professor James Mackintosh and his wife Hughie. Her parents both died within six years of the murder.
A spokesman for the St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said: "At the time of Elizabeth Mackintosh's tragic murder in 1990, no charges were issued due to lack of sufficient evidence. The investigation continued.
"Though various police investigators have picked up the case over the years and television documentaries have revived interest in it, none has developed new evidence. So, there is still insufficient evidence to issue charges, and the investigation still continues."
The documentary showed that the investigators considered three other potential suspects for the murder but ruled them out before focusing their attention on Johnson. The case is the only unsolved murder in the history of the city, which is around 14 miles from St Louis.
More than 300 students at the college campus were questioned as part of the original investigation. A psychological profile prepared by the FBI suggested Miss Mackintosh was the victim of a young male loner with low self-esteem.
Miss Mackintosh was a trained nurse and health visitor who had worked in Edinburgh, London, and South America. She was only a few months away from graduating when she was murdered.
A Creve Coeur Police Department spokesman said: "The St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office completed its review of the case with the evidence that has been obtained.
"At this time, they are not issuing charges on any person of interest, however, the case is not closed. This case will remain open and will be reviewed by a detective as part of our cold case reviews."
READ NEXT -
Edinburgh gym owner fumes as council stick 'dirty' bench outside her shop
Edinburgh woman signs up for charity run for blind - not realising her own condition
The eerie abandoned tunnel near Edinburgh that's been sealed for 60 years
Edinburgh man speaks out over childhood friend's determination after cancer diagnosis
Former Edinburgh community gym torn down to make way for student flats
