Search for remains of Arlene Arkinson in Co Tyrone ends

A police search of farmland at Killen, Co Tyrone, for the body of Arlene Arkinson who vanished more than 20 years ago, has ended.

In a statement on Saturday afternoon, the PSNI said nothing suspicious had been found and her family had been informed.

Arlene (15), from Castlederg in Co Tyrone, disappeared in August 1994 after a night out in Co Donegal.

She was last seen being driven down a country road late at night by child killer Robert Howard.

He was acquitted of the schoolgirl's murder in 2005 by a jury not told about his lengthy criminal history, which included killing teenager Hannah Williams in south London several years earlier.

Arlene’s body has never been found despite extensive searches.

Howard was the prime suspect in the unsolved case. He died in an English prison last year.

The new search was focused on farmland at Killen, around a mile from Castlederg, close to where Arlene was last seen. The operation was triggered after a report of some disturbed earth.