MUM’S 21ST BIRTHDAY PLEA TO MISSING JOHN
Appeal made to son last seen in June
A HEARTBROKEN mother has made an emotional appeal to her missing son on his 21st birthday.
John Burke, who had been living in Tralee, Co Kerry, was last seen in Cork city on June 16.
And his devastated mum Winnie has begged anyone with any information about her son to pick up get in touch with her.
She said: “Every day gets harder, I just want to know is he OK.
“If him, or somebody else, could just pick up the phone and ring us and let us know is he alright.
“We just don’t know if he’s OK. “I fear the worst, it has been five months. It’s so hard to go to bed at night and not know where your child is.
“He doesn’t know Cork or anybody in Cork. He’s a bit wild but he’s a great lad.
“June 16 is the last time we have seen him. He is 21 today. My other son received a message saying John was leaving Tralee [in June].
“When my son saw the message we went straight into the local Garda station.
“But John has no number now. He hasn’t been on his Facebook page since.
“He is on disability and has collected no payment since June.
“When he went missing first we got reports of sightings of him in Cork. But nobody has been 100% sure.”
It is believed John, who is origi- nally from Waterford, tried to access homeless accommodation in Cork.
Winne told The Neil Prendeville Show on REDFM: “We go down to Cork on a Saturday and put up fliers and pictures.
“We head home at 10pm or 11pm and then go back and do it again the next day.
“It’s getting hard now. It’s hard to cry in front of them. Nobody has recognised him so far in Cork.
“Bus Eireann have sent in a DVD of a bus because they thought it was John on the bus.
“But it turns out it wasn’t him. We have put up his picture on the Travellers Community Centre in the UK as well. But we have no relations in the UK whatsoever.”
Anyone with any information about John’s disappearance is asked to contact Winnie on 087 277 1599.
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