Garda Search For Arlene Arkinson Resumed
Garda search for the remains of Arlene Arkinson resumed yesterday. Arlene was last seen 30 years ago.
Ballybobaneen Forest in the Glenfin area will remain the site of the ongoing Garda search, which commenced yesterday. The area is 12 km on the northwest side of Ballybofey.
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The second Garda search for Arlene
The current search is the second one for searching Arlene Arkinson’s remains in County Donegal. The previous search took place in the Castlefin area at the beginning of the running year.
One of the spokespersons from the Garda Office refused to comment on the search and only stated, “Searches have been ongoing in the area”.
It is expected that searches will continue till the end of this week, starting from the entrance of the forest- depending on the climate and the amount of time the Garda search team has available.
The locals were surprised when they heard of another search for Arlene Arkinson. However, they are with the Arkinson family as they want a good resting place for Arlene.
Her family and their legal representative have agreed to stay silent about the ongoing search so that no speculations are made in the media for operational reasons.
When Arlene Arkinson was fifteen years old, she vanished. She spent a night out at a Bundoran club. The event took place on August 13, 1994.
The teenage girl was last seen in the car of convicted murderer and rapist, Robert Howard in County Tyrone, Castlederg. The body of the victim was never found, however, the search is still on for any remains despite disappointments to date.
An inquest was initiated to get in-depth details of the incident for the 14-year-old girl. The maximum number of proofs needed to maintain the balance of probabilities against Robert Howard put the responsibility on his shoulders for Arlene’s death.
A Garda senior coroner, Brian George Sherrard said, “Robert Howard, a violent sexual offender, and the last person to be seen with Arlene in the early hours of 14 August 1994, was responsible for her death”.
Howard was proven guilty of Arlene’s murder in 2004 but to many people’s surprise, he was released in 2005. Howard died in 2015.
A vigil was held in August this year, marking 30 years of Arlene’s death. Her sisters Kathleen and Paula Arkinson asked for a public inquiry against her sister’s death and reiterated their calls for serious handling of the case.
Her heartbroken sister Kathleen said, “Some day Arlene will be found”. She had mixed feelings and didn’t know how to express herself.
The Parish priest, Fr. Paul Fraser said at the vigil that her memory “lives on in all of those who knew and loved her” and her case should reveal the “truth and justice” that she and her family deserve.
