Search resumes for disappeared Arlene

A team of officers using specialist PSNI search dogs began the first phase of this latest operation on land at Scraghy Road between Castlederg and Ederney where 15-year-old Arlene was last seen in the early hours of 14 August 1994.

This is the first phase of a co-ordinated search strategy which will be progressed at a number of locations in the Castlederg area and beyond over the coming months.

Plans have been drawn up to cover a large number of sites which have links to the overall investigation into Arlene’s disappearance. Searches will be conducted on a planned roll-out, depending on weather conditions, availability of resources and operational commitments.

Arlene disappeared after a night out in Bundoran in August 1994. In 2005 a 61 year old man stood trial for Arlene’s murder but was acquitted.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Superintendent Raymond Murray, said today: “On a personal level, Arlene’s family has been in torment for 17 years.

“We want to do everything we possibly can to reunite Arlene with her family. Arlene’s sisters and brothers have suffered for too long. Despite the considerable time gap and the challenges involved in locating remains, we will do everything we possibly can to achieve this.

“On a policing level, the recovery of remains may represent a significant opportunity to progress the investigation, as knowledge of any remains or the location of a body deposition site may provide evidence to further our enquiries.”

Police want to thank landowners, in the public and private sectors, for their co-operation with the search operations which will be conducted in the coming weeks and months.

Detective Superintendent Murray said: “Arlene disappeared near her home in Castlederg after attending a disco in Bundoran.

“The police investigation has been extensive and there has been a court case but I would not rule out the possibility that there is information in the local community which still has not been provided to detectives.

“This may be for a variety of reasons: people may not have had confidence in police all those years ago or they may have been frightened for other reasons. I want to assure anyone with information that they can talk to detectives who will engage with them sensitively and professionally.

“Even after all these years I would make three specific appeals: Did anyone see a blue Metro car in the area of Scraghy Road in the early hours of 14 August 1994?

“Did anyone see any suspicious activity during the early hours of 14 August in the wider Scraghy/Castlederg area?

“Did anyone see Arlene in Castlederg in the early hours of the 14 August?

“We owe it to Arlene and to her family to do our utmost to bring her home and to bring her killer to justice. This series of searches and related investigative activity are the latest phase in our efforts to achieve these objectives.”