Police in the North failed to investigate the disappearance of mother-of-10 Jean McConville for more than 20 years, a Police Ombudsman investigation has found.
The Ombudsman's investigation followed a complaint from Mrs McConville's family that police did not investigate her disappearance. Mrs McConville, who was a widow, was abducted from her home at Divis Flats in west Belfast in December 1972 by the IRA and killed. Some of her children were taken into care after she disappeared.
The IRA continues to claim that Mrs McConville was killed because she was an informer, despite a statement earlier this month by the Police Ombudsman that there was no evidence to suggest she was an informer.
The investigation by Nuala O'Loan also found that police had received information from military sources which suggested the abduction was a hoax and that Mrs McConville was known to be safe and well. A statement from the Ombudsman last night said: "The Police Ombudsman investigation into a complaint from Jean McConville's family has concluded that police did not conduct an investigation into her disappearance for more than 20 years.
"The investigation established that there was no formal police record of Mrs McConville's disappearance nor any investigation at that time to try and find her."
Ms O'Loan said: "Whether Mrs McConville's son reported his mother's disappearance on December 7th or not, we have evidence that by January 2nd police were aware that the mother-of-10 was missing.
"By January 16th, a spokesman was being quoted as saying the matter was being investigated but we have found no evidence of this. There is no crime file about any investigation of the abduction in 1972.
"Even if we look at the intelligence the police received, which suggested that Mrs McConville was alive and had either left of her own will or was being held by the Provisionals in Dundalk, we found no evidence that either of these issues were looked at. An Garda Síochána have said they are not aware of an investigation by them into Mrs McConville's death prior to the discovery of her body."
In March 1999, the IRA said they had abducted and killed nine people, including Mrs McConville. Her body was found on Shelling Hill Beach at Carlingford in Co Louth on August 26th, 2003. She had been shot in the head. The investigation of her murder will now form part of the work of the PSNI Historical Enquiry Team.
The Police Ombudsman has now written to members of the McConville family outlining details of the investigation. The investigation established that there was no formal police record of Mrs McConville's disappearance nor any investigation at that time to try and find her.
Mrs McConville's son, Michael, said he felt vindicated by the report and added that if police had acted sooner his mother may still be alive today.
"They didn't do enough work on the case in the first place, I think it was a big let-down for the McConville family," he said.
"If police had reacted more quickly, my mother might have still been alive today. I think that to start an investigation 20 years later is a bit late.
"I would like to have a meeting with the chief constable of the PSNI, Sir Hugh Orde, I need to go and get this sorted out.
"I don't think we will see anybody brought to court but we have to try."