A MAN has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl whose remains were found in a lake earlier this year. Conor Lally, Crime Correspondent, reports.
The 43-year-old suspect was being questioned last night at Sligo town Garda station about the disappearance of Melissa Mahon.
The schoolgirl from Rathbraughan Park, Sligo town, disappeared on September 13th, 2006. She was last seen at an address in the town where she was staying.
It was at first believed she may have run away and gardaí issued a number of public appeals for her to contact them. It was thought that she might have gone to England, where the Mahon family had lived before moving back to Sligo in September 2005.
After Melissa's disappearance gardaí contacted police in the UK and appeals were made there asking the public for information.
The girl's disappearance was also featured on RTÉ's Crimecall programme. There were a number of reported sightings, none of which was ever confirmed. Direct appeals through the media by her family urging her to contact them also proved fruitless.
At the time of her disappearance, she was in the care of a foster family and is believed to have been in a relationship with an older man, which had been a cause of concern. She was described by gardaí as "extremely vulnerable".
A number of properties were searched in the Sligo area and a large number of people were interviewed but no clues as to her whereabouts were found.
However, last February gardaí made what has proven to be a major breakthrough in solving Melissa's disappearance. They were approached by a teenage girl in the town who claimed a local man had killed the missing girl, wrapped her in a blanket and dumped her remains in Lough Gill, Co Sligo.
The girl, who is currently in the care of the State, took gardaí to the spot where she said the remains had been dumped. The Garda Water Unit was drafted in and after nearly two weeks of searching portions of a blanket were found followed by human skeletal remains, including a skull.
The remains were taken from the water near Parkes Castle, 2km from Sligo town. They were sent to the UK for testing and it is understood those tests have confirmed the remains are those of the missing schoolgirl.
A man named by the teenager who led gardaí to Lough Gill has been the focus of the Garda's investigation in recent months.
He was arrested at his home in Sligo town and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be held for 24 hours without charge. Criminal charges are believed to be imminent. The house owned by the arrested man was sealed off yesterday and underwent a full technical examination.