Second letter about missing teen, Ciara Breen, sent to gardaí

Gardaí have received a second letter from an anonymous writer in relation to the 17-year investigation into the disappearance of teenager Ciara Breen.

Investigating officers revealed the receipt of the second letter on the RTÉ programme Crimecall on Monday night and appealed to the author to come forward.

The development follows the emergence of two witnesses — one last July and a second last month — who both gave valuable sightings of 17-year-old Ciara around the time she vanished from her home in Dundalk on February 13, 1997.

Ciara’s mother Bernadette made an appeal on Crimecall for information: “I had one, just one little girl; my heart, my soul, my world, and just like that she was gone. She was not streetwise and she paid the price and if anything comes out of this I would like it to be for whoever has the information we need for Ciara to give it. Please, please, don’t let her lie out there on her own any more, let her come home.”

Detective Inspector Patrick Marry told the programme that there have been a series of developments in the investigation in the last six months.

“In July, a witness came forward, with a sighting [in 1997] of Ciara which we’re placing significance on,” said Det Insp Marry.

“In mid-November, another witness came forward with a significant sighting.”

He said that around the same time, they received an anonymous letter in relation to the case.

He said: “As late as last Friday, we got a second anonymous letter and the contents of those letters are interesting to us and we wish to explore the content with the author and that’s my appeal — for the person who wrote those letters to contact us.”

Det Insp Marry said the letter author would be dealt with “in a sensitive manner”.

He also appealed to friends of Ciara to come forward.

“A lot of the people we canvassed and spoken to back in 1997 were people 17 and 18 years of age,” he said.

“Those people are now in their mid-30s, married with families and children. I would ask those people who have information to contact us, no matter how miniscule.”

He added: “They have nothing to fear, absolutely not. We wish to put an end to Bernadette’s suffering.”

Anyone with information can contact Dundalk Garda station on 042 9388400, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.