THE sister of a murdered Tyrone schoolgirl who went missing almost 30 years ago after attending a disco in Donegal is appealing for a public inquiry into the handling of the case by police.
Arlene Arkinson, a Tyrone schoolgirl, was 15 years old when she disappeared after going to a disco in Bundoran with her friend Donna Quinn and Sean Hegarty, the then boyfriend of Ms Quinn.
A 14-year inquest into the death of the teenager came to a close in July 2021, concluding that Arlene was murdered by convicted child killer and rapist Robert Howard on the morning of August 14, 1994.
Howard was the last person to be seen with Arlene in a car that Sunday morning.
Arlene’s sister, Kathleen Arkinson has never given up the fight to have her sister’s remains found. Ahead of the 30th anniversary of her sister’s murder next month, she is calling for a public inquiry into the handling of her sister’s case by police, which she believes will assist in finding the teenager’s remains.
The latest move comes as new research to recover the body of the schoolgirl was carried out by Gardaí in May in Castlefinn after new information was received by the force, The Sunday Times has revealed.
Howard was charged with Arlene’s murder in 2002, but was acquitted in 2005. He died in prison in England, aged 71, in 2015, while serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of Hannah Williams (14) in 2001.
Speaking ahead of the 30th anniversary of her youngest sister’s death, Kathleen Arkinson told The Sunday Times it would mean “the world” to her family if Arlene’s remains could be brought home.
Tragically, Arlene’s mother died in 1990 when Arlene was just 11. Her father died in 2008. Three of Arlene’s six siblings have also since died.
“Sometimes I think I can’t do this any more, but then you have to give yourself a shake and say, ‘I have to keep going’. That’s my flesh and blood and you don’t walk away from something like that.
“I’m hoping for a public inquiry and I’m never going to give up hope. I just want her remains so I can lay her body to rest,” Kathleen Arkinson told The Sunday Times.
Kathleen Arkinson believes Howard had been working as a state agent for police in Northern Ireland.
The family’s solicitor, Des Doherty, said it was possible that Arlene was buried in Donegal or near the border, but the coroner’s findings said she had been murdered in the north.
Mr Doherty said not enough pressure had been put on authorities in Northern Ireland for a public inquiry.
“I think now leading up to the 30th anniversary the urge and calls for a public inquiry is unstoppable and they will get there eventually,” The Sunday Times reports.
Kathleen Arkinson and her siblings will hold a vigil for Arlene for the first time to mark the 30th anniversary at St Patrick’s Church, Castlederg, on August 13.
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