The body of a young Co Limerick man who had been missing for more than 10 days was found in a slurry pit yesterday close to his home.
A massive search involving hundreds of local people had been under way over the Christmas period since 18-year-old Ricky Loughnane from Dromtrasna, Co Limerick, went missing in the early hours of December 19th.
His family had feared the worst after it was confirmed his bank card had not been used since a night out with friends in Abbeyfeale the week before Christmas.
Gardaí established that he had hailed a cab in the early hours of December 19th and the last confirmed sighting was at Meanheala creamery a short distance from his home.
When he exited the cab about a quarter of a mile from his home he was dressed lightly in a T-shirt, jeans and trainers.
In recent days the search for the missing teenager had been extended to include tributaries of the River Shannon, which had swelled by up to six feet on the night Ricky disappeared.
Shortly after midday yesterday, people searching for the teenager uncovered the body of a young man in a slurry pit at Dromtrasna, a few hundred yards from Ricky Loughnane's home.
His body was later identified at the scene by family members and then removed to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick where a post-mortem was due to be carried out.
The foster parents of Ricky Loughnane, Mr and Mrs Pat and Norma Healy, praised the massive search effort involving hundreds of people which continued throughout the Christmas period.