An 87-year-old man has been cleared of murdering a couple with a shotgun at their Welsh farmhouse 33 years ago.
The man was arrested in December last year over the deaths of Harry and Megan Tooze, who were shot in a cowshed at their farm in Llanharry, near Cardiff, on July 26, 1993.
His arrest followed the launch of Operation Vega by South Wales Police in 2023. The forensic review was intended to uncover fresh evidence and identify the person responsible for the killings.
However, ten months after his arrest as part of the cold case investigation, police told him he would face no further action.
Detective Superintendent Mark O’Shea said the family of Mr and Mrs Tooze was being supported while the review of the unsolved murders continued.
‘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 after all this time, I appeal to anyone with information about the murders to contact us. What they know could help us secure 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 alongside her husband’s in a cowshed on their farm
Neighbours heard two gunshots at about 1.30pm, but the sound was dismissed because such noises were considered normal on a working farm.
The bodies of the 64-year-old man and 67-year-old woman were found in the cowshed the next morning, after their daughter became concerned when they failed to answer her daily phone call.
Both victims had been shot in the back of the head from a distance of about 3ft. Their bodies were covered with carpet and concealed beneath hay bales.
A major police investigation followed the double murder, eventually leading to the arrest and charging of the couple’s daughter’s boyfriend.
Jonathan Jones, now 65, was sentenced to life in prison for the murders in 1995. He was released a year later after his conviction was ruled unsafe.
The couple’s daughter, Cheryl Tooze, supported her boyfriend throughout the case and campaigned for his release. She also offered a £25,000 reward for information about the killings.
After leaving prison, Jones and Cheryl Tooze married and had a son. The couple later called for the murder investigation to be reopened.
The case was not revisited until 2023, when the 30th anniversary of the murders prompted South Wales Police to announce Operation Vega and begin a fresh investigation.
Forensic experts examine the crime scene at 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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