Marian Beattie: £20,000 reward offered to help secure conviction as investigation continues into murder of Co Armagh teenager
A £20,000 reward is being offered to help bring to justice the killers of a Co Armagh teenager murdered 53 years ago.
Marian Beattie’s body was found at the bottom of a quarry near in Co Tyrone on Saturday, March 31, 1973.
The 18-year-old, from Portadown, was killed following a dance she attended with her brother in a hall near Aughnacloy.
In a bid to help bring closure for Marian’s family, the independent charity Crimestoppers has offered a reward of up to £20,000 a reward for information that leads or would have led to the arrest and conviction or the identification of the people responsible.
Commenting on Wednesday (August 19), Detective Inspector McCrissican, from the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch, said: “We hope this reward will encourage those with information to tell Crimestoppers what they know and that information will, in turn, help us identify those responsible.
“We believe Marian left the dance at Hadden’s Garage with a man, walking in the direction of the nearby car park at the top of Hadden’s Quarry about 400 yards away from the garage. We do not know what happened next, but Marian’s body was found at the bottom of the quarry below the car park.
“I appreciate this murder took place over 50 years ago but we would like to talk to anyone who was at the dance at Hadden’s Garage on the night of Friday, 30th March, 1973. Marian went there with a girl friend to listen to her brother’s band."
Police went on to pose the following questions as part of the appeal:
- Did you see who she was dancing with or speaking with?
- Did you see her leave the dance with a man?
- Do you know who he was?
- Did you see her in the car park at the quarry any time after 1.15am on the Saturday morning?
- Additionally, do you remember anyone who was at the dance returning home distressed or with dirt on their clothes?
- Has anyone ever talked about the events of that night?
Detective Inspector McCrissican added: “Marian’s family deserves to know what happened to her that night and our investigation continues. Detectives can be contacted by calling 101."
Alternatively, if you wish to stay anonymous or wish to be eligible for a reward, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.