Gardaí have issued a renewed appeal for information that could help them finally solve the murder of 23-yr-old art student Emer O’Loughlin, marking the 20th anniversary of her death, reports RTE.
Ms O’Loughlin, who was from Ennistymon, Co Clare, was found dead in a severely burned-out mobile home at Ballybornagh near Tubber, Co Clare, on 8 April 2005.
She had been living in a caravan on the property with her boyfriend at the time while the couple prepared to build a home on the site, reports RTE.
Although a cause of death was not established in 2005, her family believed from the beginning that her death involved foul play.
In 2010, her body was exhumed as part of a cold case investigation, and forensic anthropology tests then revealed that her death had involved violence before the fire broke out in the mobile home, reports RTE.
The burned mobile home belonged to her neighbour John Griffin, also known as ‘Fozzie’ Griffin, originally from Mervue in Galway, who gardaí suspect holds key information about Emer O’Loughlin’s death, but who has been missing since shortly after it occurred.
Gardaí did speak to Mr Griffin during the initial investigation, and he claimed to have stayed with a relative in Galway the night before Ms O’Loughlin’s death, saying he had no knowledge of the fire at his mobile home, reports RTE.
His last verified sighting was on Inis Mór in the Aran Islands. His clothes were found on a cliff edge there, but despite extensive searches, he was not found and has never been officially reported missing.
On the 20th anniversary of Ms O’Loughlin’s death, gardaí have once more called on the public to come forward with any relevant information.
They believe Mr Griffin is still alive and are eager to locate him, reports RTE.
Investigators suspect he may have received help leaving Inis Mór and that the clothes left on the cliff may have been a ploy to derail the investigation.
There have been numerous reported sightings of Mr Griffin, though none have been confirmed, and it is widely believed that he is now living somewhere in Europe, reports RTE.
He is currently listed as an international fugitive with Interpol, wanted in connection with the garda investigation into the murder.
Gardaí are particularly interested in speaking to Mr Griffin himself, or to anyone who has had contact with him in the years since, and may know where he is now, reports RTE.
He would now be 57 years old, approximately 1.80m (5’11”) tall, with a slender build, bald, often with a beard, and has a distinctive Eye of Horus tattoo on his neck and throat area.
The case has been featured on RTÉ’s Crimecall and was also the focus of a TG4 documentary.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Gort Garda Station at 091 636400, or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, reports RTE.
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