An 87-year-old man arrested over the shotgun murders of a Welsh farmhouse couple 33 years ago has been told he is no longer under investigation and will face no further action.
Harry and Megan Tooze were killed at their farm in Llanharry, near Cardiff, on 26 July 1993. The elderly man was arrested in December 2025 as part of a renewed investigation by South Wales Police.
The force launched Operation Vega in 2023 to re-examine the double murder, review forensic evidence and identify the person responsible.
Detective Superintendent Mark O’Shea said the couple’s family was being supported while the review 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 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.”
Renewed investigation into the Tooze murders
Mr and Mrs Tooze left their home at Ty ar y Waun farm on the morning of the killings to collect their pensions.
Neighbours heard two gunshots at about 1.30pm, but the sound was not considered unusual on a farm. The couple’s bodies were found in a cowshed the following morning after their daughter became concerned when they failed to answer her daily phone call.
Both had been shot in the back of the head from a distance of about three feet. Their bodies had been covered with carpet and concealed beneath hay bales.
A major police investigation followed, and Jonathan Jones, the boyfriend of the couple’s daughter, was charged with the killings. He was jailed for life in 1995, but was released a year later after his conviction was ruled unsafe.
Cheryl Tooze stood by Mr Jones and campaigned for his release. She also offered a £25,000 reward for information about her parents’ murders.
After his release, the couple married and had a son together before calling for the case to be reopened. Operation Vega was announced on the 30th anniversary of the killings.
The review is being led by South Wales Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team and is supported by forensic scientist Professor Angela Gallop. Forensic analysis of exhibits from the original crime scene has been carried out as part of the operation.
A South Wales Police spokesperson said the 87-year-old had been advised that he was “no longer under investigation” and had 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,” the spokesperson said.
