CCTV images steer search for missing man away from river

THE father of a missing student has urged people to focus on a specific part of Cork city after CCTV images tracked his son’s movements away from the River Lee.

Eugene Mulrooney was speaking yesterday as gardaí co-ordinated almost 300 volunteers searching for UCC student Caolan Mulrooney, 18, who has been missing since the early hours of Friday morning.

Caolan, from Rochestown, Cork, was seen at 1.07am walking over South Gate Bridge and turning right up French’s Quay.

Weekend searches focused on the river amid fears that he had entered the water.

But Supt Barry McPolin said detectives, who have been trawling through CCTV footage, have now placed Caolan in the Dean St and Fort St areas of the city, near Barrack Street, some time later.

Caolan was captured on CCTV running in the area at 1.20am.

“There is no indication that he was being chased or followed. At this stage, we don’t believe any foul play is involved,” Supt McPolin said.

He said Caolan’s mobile phone, an LG Cookie, was still working by 5pm on Friday, suggesting the device was not in water at that stage.

Technical experts are now using triangulation technology in a bid to pinpoint its exact location.

Mr Mulrooney appealed to people living in the area between Green Street and Douglas Street to check their property.

He also thanked the volunteers who have been searching for his son.

“It’s the spirit of Cork that’s driving us on — with the support from so many people, the security forces, gardaí, his friends our friends — it’s been absolutely incredible. I would like to thank the people of Cork — keep up the hope for us, because we need that. It has been wonderful,” he said.

Supt McPolin appealed to residents and property owners in the Barrack Street, Douglas Street, and Evergreen Street areas of the city to check their property, basements, lanes, alleyways, sheds, workshops or outhouses.

Hundreds of volunteers, many of them Caolan’s friends from UCC, spent the weekend sweeping the banks of the River Lee. They focussed the search around the Barrack St area last night.

The Irish Coastguard helicopter, a team of Irish Navy divers, the Mallow River Search and Rescue Unit and the Missing Person’s Association combed the south channel from the city centre downstream as far as Blackrock Castle.

Several anomalies appeared on the Mallow unit’s side-scanning sonar and were checked. However, to date, nothing has been found.

Gardaí co-ordinated searches along the river again yesterday from a centre at the Lee Rowing Club.

Caolan had been socialising in Cubin’s nightclub on Thursday night when he became separated from his friends.

He was captured by the club’s CCTV footage outside the venue in the company of a female friend.

She went back inside to get her jacket but when she came back, Caolan was gone.

Detectives know that he walked from Cubin’s on to Washington Street, then along South Main Street, over the bridge, on to French’s Quay, at 1.07am, up Sharman Crawford St and on to Dean Street at 1.20am.

Caolan is described as being of a strong, athletic build, six feet tall, with brown hair.

He was wearing a blue and white stripped shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information should contact the incident room at Anglesea Street Garda Station on tel: [phone].

Meanwhile, firefighters rescued a woman in her 30s from the River Lee at Anderson’s Quay at 10.15pm on Sunday. She was taken to the Mercy University Hospital for treatment.

Update, Dec 6: Caolan Mulrooney's body was found today in a city-centre location. Please read our full update here.