A 74-year-old man has been released without charge following a joint investigation by police and MoD into human remains uncovered on remote farmland.
The two young WW2 airmen have since been identified, with their remains returned to their families in Surrey.
A probe was launched by North Yorkshire Police at the end of March last year, with officers searching remote farmland near the quiet village of Chop Gate.
Authorities were able to locate the remains including bones, with forensic archeologists confirming them as male and estimating they had likely been buried for more than 50 years.
Military decorations was also found, Yorkshire Live reports.
The discovery triggered a large-scale operation involving subject matter experts from both the RAF and the Army.
The Crown Prosecution Service has now determined that there is not enough evidence to pursue suspected offences.
However, they praised the efforts of North Yorkshire Police and the Ministry of Defence Police, recognising the “exceptionally challenging” nature of the investigation.
Pilot Officer Alfred Robert William Milne, aged 22, from Mitcham and Warrant Officer Eric Alan Stubbs, also aged 22, from Guildford, have both been reunited with their families and given military burials.
They were tragically killed when their Mosquito aircraft crashed on the North York Moors near Bransdale, Helmsley, on 11 October 1944. They were on a training exercise from RAF Beccles in Suffolk to RAF Turnberry in Ayrshire.
Detective Inspector Carol Kirk, the North Yorkshire Police senior investigating officer, said: “At the beginning of this investigation, I don’t think any of us thought we’d be able to identify who the remains belonged to let alone return them to their families and be given military burials with the dignity and respect that they deserved.
“Even without being able to progress the investigation to court, we still believe this is a significant achievement.
“I have recently had contact with both families and they wish to pass on their thanks to all those involved in bringing Alfred and Eric home.”
DI Kirk added: “On behalf the investigation team, I thank North Yorkshire Police, Ministry of Defence Police, Army and RAF colleagues who have played a part in this highly complex and challenging operation.
“The commitment, diligence and professionalism from everyone involved has been outstanding.
“I also thank our local authority and community partners for their unstinting support throughout, and to the local residents whose daily lives were disrupted for many weeks while this activity was ongoing at the location.”
A then, 72-year-old man from the York area was arrested over the matter, and was interviewed as part of the investigation although police would not confirm the suspected offence he had been arrested for.
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