Gardai continue Cairns investigation

Gardaí investigating the disappearance of schoolboy Philip Cairns 23 years ago are continuing to examine an area at a south Dublin…

Gardaí investigating the disappearance of schoolboy Philip Cairns 23 years ago are continuing to examine an area at a south Dublin golf club.

Acting on a new lead, gardaí yesterday sealed off a wooded area of Grange Golf Club in Rathfarnham for technical examination.

A Garda spokeswoman said geophysicists and experts from the Garda Technical Bureau would be deployed and that the area would be excavated over the coming days.

The Irish Timesunderstands a woman has told gardaí she recalled seeing a grave-shaped mound of earth at the site at about the time the schoolboy disappeared. Garda sources said soil experts would this morning check if the earth had been disturbed in the past.

READ MORE

Sources said while it was possible the missing teenager’s remains could be at the site, the dig was being treated as a precautionary one at this stage.

The 13-year-old schoolboy was last seen on the Ballyroan Road in Rathfarnham on Thursday, October 23rd, 1986. Despite extensive searches in the aftermath of his disappearance, no trace of him has been found.

The Crimestoppers Trust has offered a reward of €10,000 for information that helps to solve the case.