New hope in missing Trevor dig
Officers fear 22-yr-old killed & dumped in a field Fresh information key to launching fresh hunt Officers want to speak to man in CCTV footage
GARDAI investigating the disappearance of Trevor Deely are searching land where they believe his body may have been buried.
It’s understood one line of enquiry they are looking into is that he was murdered and dumped somewhere on the three acres of land in Chapelizod, South Dublin.
Officers began combing the area, a site owned by South Dublin County Council which runs from woodland down to a river, early yesterday morning.
Detectives from Pearse Street Garda station were reluctant to reveal how they received the recent information which has resulted in the search. But they said it was not due to a recent appeal during which they released CCTV of Trevor on the night he disappeared and a man dressed in black was seen outside his office block.
The 22-year-old went missing in the early hours of December 8, 2000, while he was walking home from a Christmas party in the city centre. A detailed examination of the area, which includes the use of a Garda sniffer dog and up to 20 officers, is likely to take up to two weeks to carry out.
A source told the Irish Sunday Mirror the information received was significant and is being taken very seriously.
The source said: “At this stage officers are searching the land for Trevor’s remains. One theory is that he was murdered and dumped in the remote area.
“You have to question how he got from the city centre out to Chapelizod. “It’s the most significant development in the case since he disappeared.
“If his remains are in fact on the land, unless he was buried, they could have been dispersed over the years by animals and birds.
“However, it’s likely large bones will still be intact and there if he was buried. Officers are happy enough with the information they have obtained to carry out a search of the area.
“It’s expensive to carry out such an operation so they are relatively confident the details about the area are good enough to warrant such a search.”
SIGNIFICANT
Speaking at the scene, Det Insp Paul Costello, who is leading the investigation, said that it is the most significant search in the case to date.
He added yesterday: “Early this morning An Garda Siochana sealed off this area and set up a perimeter with no public allowed access.
“The reason for this is because we are conducting a search of this area over the coming days searching for evidence connected to the disappearance of Trevor Deely. Trevor was last seen on
One theory is that he was murdered and dumped in the remote area DET INSP PAUL COSTELLO ON SEARCH FOR TREVOR’S REMAINS
December 8, 2000, on the Haddington Road area of Dublin 4 and I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to anybody who has not come forward to contact us at Pearse Garda Station at 01 6669000 or alternatively on the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.
“This is a woodland area adjacent to the R112 in Chapelizod and it runs down to the River Liffey. All that area now is restricted to the public.
“The site will be excavated as best as it can. The land is woodland that is in the ownership of South Dublin County Council. This is the only search we have planned at the moment.
“Since the review began last year this is our first search. We will keep an open mind on what we may or may not find.”
Mr Costello revealed the Deely family are upset by the new developments. He said: “You would appreciate this is a very, very stressful time for the Deely family and I would ask that their privacy be respected throughout this process in the coming days and weeks.
“Obviously the family are finding this deeply distressing.”
APPEAL
He also stated the recent appeal in April did not lead to the latest development. A major breakthrough in the case was made earlier this year when CCTV footage from the night he disappeared emerged.
At 3.34am, moments before Trevor approached his office at Wilton Place, a man dressed in black followed him to the back gate of Bank of Ireland, where the two spoke to each other.
The footage shows the same man acting suspiciously outside the rear entrance of the bank from 2.59am – more than half an hour before Trevor arrived. Gardai believe this man is the same person who is captured passing the Bank of Ireland ATM on Haddington Road at 4.14am, seconds after the last known images of Trevor.
Mr Costello added: “Obviously, I can’t discuss the source of the information at this point. I can tell you that it is not [ from the appeal].
“It is new information but I can’t go into it anymore than that. We have not identified that man [in the CCTV].
“We would like to hear from the man in black to please contact us at Pearse Street Garda station.
“We believe there are people still out there that have information we need and we would appreciate them to contact us.”
IT’S good to hear there has been a major breakthrough in the case of missing man Trevor Deely.
For the past 17 years Trevor’s family has worked tirelessly to try and find out what happened to him the night he vanished in December 2000.
Up until recently they continued to hit a wall but now new information has led to land being searched by gardai.
New CCTV footage released by detectives involved in the case last April appeared to show a man dressed in black standing outside Trevor’s office building on the night he disappeared.
Despite that man not yet being identified, officers believe they have credible information that could bring closure to one of the longest unsolved cases.
The Deely family are no doubt extremely anxious and distraught at this time. It’s hard to even imagine the pain they have suffered over the years and continue to go through.
One theory apparently being investigated is that 22-year-old Trevor may have been murdered and his body dumped at the woodland site.
This will be no comfort for his family but at least if remains are found they can finally start to grieve for their loved one.
Hopefully, they will find some peace after all their tireless searching and campaigning.
If this recent development is anything to go by, it proves you should never give up hope and that even after so many years cases can be solved.
One can only hope that those who know what happened to him on the night come forward and help gardai with their investigation.