The Disappeared: fresh appeal to find remains of Seamus Maguire, believed to have killed and secretly buried near Lurgan 50 years ago

A fresh appeal has been launched for information from the public who may have knowledge relating to Seamus Maguire, who disappeared almost 50 years ago from Aghagallon.

A new photograph has also been released in the hope it might “jog someone’s memory”.

The investigator in charge of the case is convinced someone has “a vital piece of information” that could end decades of suffering for the Maguire family.

While it was initially thought that Seamus disappeared sometime around 1973 -1974, those working to resolve the case say it has now been established that after spending time in Manchester he returned to Northern Ireland and was then killed and secretly buried in the Aghagallon / Derryclone area in 1976 aged 29.

It is believed his death was as a result of republican paramilitary activity, though investigators say it is not yet clear which wing of the IRA was involved,

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR), which was set up by the UK and Irish Governments in 1999 to locate and recover the remains of the Disappeared, has issued a fresh appeal for information regarding Seamus’ disappearance.

Investigator Mark Pickard, who has been running the Seamus Maguire investigation since he joined the ICLVR in 2023, said that work has been ongoing on the case since it was referred by the PSNI to the ICLVR in 2022.

However, he stressed a specific search site within the Aghagallon / Derryclone area has yet to be identified by the ICLVR.

“We have been working steadily to resolve the issue of Seamus’ disappearance using all the resources available to the commission but this is a complex case dating back nearly 50 years and as ever in these circumstances we do need more information,” said Mr Pickard.

"With this appeal we are issuing a photograph of Seamus which we hope might jog someone’s memory and move us on.

"As with all our cases, our interest is purely humanitarian and all information that comes to us is treated in the strictest confidence and will not be passed to any enforcement body and will be used solely to help us find Seamus’ remains and to bring them home to his family”.

Mr Pickard continued: “We are convinced that someone somewhere has a vital piece of information in relation to his disappearance even though they might not be aware of its significance.

"We need them to come forward and help end the decades of pain that the Maguire family have suffered”.

The commission is also working on three other outstanding Disappeared cases — former Cistercian monk turned IRA member Joe Lynskey, Co Tyrone teenager Columba McVeigh and British Army Captain Robert Nairac.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the commission on +353 1 602 8655 or [email protected] or ICLVR PO Box 10827 Dublin, Ireland.