Missing nurse may have been in car boot for 10 days

A nurse found in the boot (trunk) of her car suffering from hypothermia and dehydration could have been there for up to 10 days, police said yesterday. Magdeline Makola, 38, was wearing nightclothes and had been tied up so she could not escape. She was discovered in her vehicle in the town of Airdrie, east of Glasgow, on Friday.

The nurse, a South African-born British citizen, was said to be suffering from minor injuries and "extremely traumatised" by her ordeal, making it difficult to interview her. Makola, from Livingston, east of Edinburgh - 23 miles (37 kilometres) from Airdrie - had not been seen since she left work at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on December 15. She was reported missing after failing to turn up for work on December 18.

Her bank card had been used in Airdrie and a police officer searching the town's streets heard her cries for help. Officers smashed the car windows to get to the boot.



"One of the road policing officers discovered the car and heard some noises from within," said Chief Inspector Tommy Tague of Lothian and Borders Police. He said police believe Makola could have been in the boot for up to 10 days.

There did not appear to be any motive for the abduction, said Tague. "This would appear to be completely out of the blue. Magdeline is a very committed nurse and she has a close circle of friends."

Detectives want to trace a stocky man with dreadlocks whom they believe she met through a mutual friend five or six years ago in Scotland, Tague said, appealing for information. He said Makola's car had been used during the time that she was missing. Officers would not confirm whether the nurse had been drugged or threatened with a weapon.