VIDEO: Karen Buckley: Man held as police search farmland

There were dramatic developments in the search for missing Cork woman Karen Buckley last night, as Glasgow Police cordoned off a farm north of the city as part of their investigation into the student’s disappearance.

Thu, 16 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Joe Leogue

The new site of interest came to light as Glasgow police detained a 21-year-old Alexander Pacteau for questioning shortly before 6pm and confirmed that they were now following a definite line of inquiry.

He is the man that Ms Buckley was seen speaking to on CCTV at around 1am outside the club, and he was later traced by police. He subsequently told police that Ms Buckley came back to his apartment on Dorchester Avenue where she spent approximately three hours before deciding to walk home.

Alexander Pacteau

Yesterday evening several police vehicles, including vans and off-road scrambler bikes as well as a number of fire appliances, descended on High Craigton Farm, 10km north of the Dorchester Avenue apartment where the Mourneabbey native was last reportedly seen at 4am Sunday morning. The road to the farm was cordoned off.

The search for #KarenBuckley now focuses on this farm in High Craigton, a rural spot north of Glasgow. pic.twitter.com/6rKTEjuMIz
— Joe Leogue (@JoeLeogue) April 15, 2015

It is understood police were asking residents in the vicinity whether they have seen any bonfires there over the past few days.

The heavy police presence remained on the site late last night. The developments came four days after Ms Buckley’s friends raised the alarm when she failed to return home after a Saturday night out at Sanctuary, a nightclub in Glasgow city centre.

The High Craigton Farm at the centre of last night’s search is in the heart of the rural Milngavie area and south of the Drymen region.

Police had highlighted these areas as of interest on Tuesday, as they had received reports of a suspicious grey car that was spotted driving the region’s country roads on Monday.

Glasgow police had yesterday afternoon reiterated its determination to find the qualified nurse.

“Our absolute priority is to find Karen Buckley,” said Detective Superintendent Jim Kerr, who is leading the investigation.

“We have a team of specialist search officers from the west and east working in the area as well as additional patrols in the west end and north of the city,” he said.

Dozens of officers had yesterday afternoon combed the areas around the Dorchester Avenue apartment, local canals and the nearby Dawsholm Park, where the missing nurse’s handbag was found on lunchtime Tuesday.

Forensic officials yesterday searched the apartment and gardens in the Dorchester Avenue area.

Meanwhile, the organisers of a Facebook page established to raise awareness of Ms Buckley’s disappearance have launched a fundraising effort to cover the Buckley family’s expenses while they are in Glasgow.

Donations to the gofundme webpage poured in from across Ireland and the UK, and had almost reached its £5,000 (€6,950) target last night within hours of its opening.

In another show of solidarity with the Buckley family, the people of Mourneabbey came out in their hundreds for a Mass of Hope where prayers were said for the young woman’s safety.

Father Joe O’Keeffe, Parish Priest of Mourneabbey, was celebrant of this Mass. He described the mood in the small, but closeknit parish community as sombre. “They are all affected. I know the neighbours and friends are rallying around and looking after the homestead while Karen’s parents are in Glasgow.

“They’re doing all they can to support the family from this side. We’re somewhat removed from John and Marion in Glasgow. That being the case, we’re still very much with them spiritually,” he said.