An 87-year-old man has been cleared of killing a couple with a shotgun at a Welsh farmhouse 33 years ago.
The elderly suspect was arrested in December last year in connection to the murder of Harry and Megan Tooze, who were killed in a cowshed on their farm in Llanharry, near Cardiff, on July 26, 1993.
It comes after South Wales Police launched Operation Vega, a forensic review of the case in 2023 with the aim of uncovering new evidence and identifying the killer.
But ten months on from the man’s arrest – as part of the cold case investigation – he was told by police that he will face no further action.
Detective Superintendent Mark O’Shea said the family of Mr and Mrs Tooze were being supported as the review of the case continues.
‘We remain committed to solving these dreadful murders which happened more than three decades ago,’ he said. ‘It is never too late to come forward.’
‘Even with this passage of time I appeal to anyone who has any information about the murders to come forward and speak to us because information they have may help us get justice for the family.’
Mr and Mrs Tooze left their home at Ty ar y Waun farm on the morning of July 26, 1993, to collect their pensions.
Harry Tooze, 64, was shot dead at his Ty ar y Waun farm in Llanharry, near Cardiff in 1993
Pictured: Megan Tooze, 67, whose body was found with her husbands in a cowshed on their farm
Neighbours heard two gunshots at around 1.30pm but the noise was dismissed as the sound was considered normal on a farm.
The 64 and 67-year-olds’ bodies were discovered in the cowshed the following morning after concerns were raised when a daily phone call from their daughter went unanswered.
The couple had both been shot in the head from behind from a distance of about 3ft covered in carpet and hidden under hay bales.
In the wake of the double murder, a massive police investigation began which saw the boyfriend of the couple’s daughter charged with the killings.
Jonathan Jones, now aged 65, was jailed for life over the murders in 1995 before he was freed a year later when his conviction was ruled unsafe.
The couple’s daughter, Cheryl Tooze, stood by her boyfriend and campaigned for his release from jail, offering a £25,000 reward for any information about the murders.
Following his release from prison, the couple who married and had a son together, called for the case to be reopened.
But it wasn’t until the 30th anniversary of the murder when Operation Vega was announced and the case was set to be investigated again.
Forensic experts explore the crime scene in the rural south Wales farmhouse where Harry and Megan Tooze were killed in 1993
Jonathan Jones (right), who was wrongly accused of murdering his future in-laws alongside his wife of 25 years Cheryl
The review is being supported by top forensic scientist Professor Angela Gallop who helped solve some of the UK’s most high-profile murders including the cases of Stephen Lawrence and Lynette White.
Forensic analysis of all of the exhibits from the original murder scene took place as part of Operation Vega.
A South Wales Police spokesperson said: ‘Following a thorough review of evidence by detectives carrying out a forensic review of the murder of Harry and Megan Tooze in 1993, the 87-year-old man who was arrested in December, 2025, has been advised that he is no longer under investigation and has been released with no further action.
‘The forensic review of the case which is being led by the Major Crime Investigation Team at South Wales Police continues.’
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