TV documentary to explore teenager’s murder in Aughancloy

The brutal murder of a teenage girl in Tyrone 52 years ago is the focus of a new TV documentary being screened tomorrow night.

Marian Beattie, who was 18 and from Portadown, Co Armagh, was killed and her body left at the bottom of a quarry near Aughnacloy on March 31, 1973.

She had been at a charity dance in the village before she died.

No one has ever been charged in connection with Marian’s murder.

Her death is the focus of a new TG4 documentary series, which features first-hand accounts from Marian’s brother Isadore and best friend Nuala Wilson, who were with her on the night she was killed.

Through harrowing testimonies, they describe how Marian’s murder has impacted them and the wider community.

The programme also delves into the archives to uncover how this heinous crime was reported on at the time.

Marian’s family have spent over 50 years trying to get answers that they believe lie within the local community of Aughnacloy.

In 2013, the Beattie family worked with criminologist Robert Giles to examine the case and bring it to the attention of the public again.

This led to new information being brought to light and the discovery that a large number of items of evidence belonging to Marian’s case was missing and also about a suspect volunteering to be interviewed by the PSNI.

However, no one was arrested.

The documentary also includes interviews with prominent community leaders and journalists who have looked extensively at Marian’s case.

The episode on Marian Beattie’s death airs on TG4 at 9.30pm on Wednesday, February 19.