Family of missing Cookstown man believe he was killed

THE family of a Cookstown man who went missing almost two decades ago believes he was killed, an inquest has heard.

Gerard Conway vanished in January 2007 at the age of 32 and was reported missing the following month. Despite extensive searches, his body has never been found.

As the inquest into his disappearance opened on Monday, Senior Coroner Joe McCrisken stated that he was ‘satisfied’ Mr Conway is deceased.

A statement from his mother, Mary Conway, given in September 2007, was read during the hearing.

She revealed that her son had previously gone missing following family arguments but had always returned.

She described him as having a reputation for being ‘a bit rough’ and ‘a bit of a fighter’, adding, “When Gerard was good, he was very good, but when he was bad, he was very bad.”

The inquest also heard that Mr Conway had suffered ‘two or three fits’ in 2006, just months before he disappeared, but had refused treatment from paramedics.

His uncle, Cathal Quinn, also provided a statement, expressing his belief that his nephew had been killed.

He said he was ‘baffled’ by the disappearance but noted that Mr Conway had ‘messed around with boys involved with drugs’.

“If he killed himself, I think his body would have been found, but somebody has done something, in my opinion,” Mr Quinn stated.

“He has been away too long, and no money has been taken from his bank account. It’s too strange.”

Mr Quinn also voiced concerns about his nephew’s mental health and the number of people who ‘didn’t like him’ at the time.

“If he experienced a manic episode, he would go after people,” he said. “He probably went after the wrong person.”

The inquest is ongoing.