Man arrested on suspicion of murdering Kenneth Fetherston

Some of Kenneth Fetherston's remains were discovered at a location on Military Road in Rathfarnham on January 31, 2010

Kenneth Fetherston, who disappeared in 2009, was not known to have any involvement in crime, and his family have continually appealed for information in the years since his disappearance.  File Picture

A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a man whose partial remains were discovered in the Dublin mountains 14 years ago. 

Kenneth Fetherston, a 26-year-old father of one, was reported missing by his family on the night of Wednesday, September 23, 2009, after his family found themselves unable to contact him.

Mr Fetherston reportedly left his apartment in Tallaght at around 9am on the day before. He was last sighted at approximately an hour later at the Landys Industrial Estate in nearby Knocklyon, Dublin 16.

Three days later, his red Honda Civic was found parked in a lay-by on the N11 between Arklow and Gorey in Wexford. Detectives found some of his blood in the boot of the vehicle, and on its rear bumper. 

Some of Mr Fetherston’s remains were subsequently discovered at a location on Military Road in Rathfarnham on January 31, 2010. 

In 2012, during an inquest into Mr Fetherston's death, deputy state pathologist Michael Curtis stated that he was stabbed multiple times with injuries evident in the skull and neck. Investigating gardaí said at the time that they believed Kenneth did not die in the place where his remains were found.

He was not known to have any involvement in crime, and his family have continually appealed for information in the years since his disappearance.

In 2020, An Garda Síochána’s Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT), part of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI), commenced a cold case review into the circumstances surrounding Mr Fetherston’s death.

On Monday morning, investigating officers attached to the SCRT searched a private residence at an undisclosed location in the Midlands. They arrested a man, aged in his 40s, on suspicion of murder.

The man is being detained at a Garda Station in the Eastern Region under section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984.