Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I am aware of the circumstances of this tragic case and of the most recent information supplied by the family of the missing person. Our Embassy in Madrid has remained in contact with the Guardia Civil in Málaga regarding the case. Successive Irish Ambassadors in Madrid, together with the Consul, have had detailed meetings with the Spanish authorities and the Guardia Civil. The Embassy has at all times been, and continues to be, available to assist the family in whatever way possible. In addition, the Consular Division of my Department, as well as senior Government figures and Taoisigh, have met on many occasions with members of the named person’s family.

The police investigation remains open and has not been closed from an operational point of view. The police continue to follow up every possible lead, and to cross-check new cases for any potential links with the named person’s disappearance. The investigating police force in Spain has advised our Embassy that they cannot accept information directly relating to the case from the family or directly from the Embassy, and that information exchange between Ireland and Spain on this case should be on a police-to-police level. To that end, the Irish investigating officers have been informed of the information relating to the whereabouts of the person named and Consular Division have been assured that the matter will receive the appropriate attention from the Garda authorities.

In response to repeated approaches at the highest levels by the Irish Government and the Embassy, the Spanish Government have provided assurances that the case continues under active investigation and that every possible effort is being made to find the named person. From a judicial point of view, as distinct from the police investigation, the case has been temporarily archived in Court in Fuengirola. The Judge decided to do this due to the time that had passed since the named person’s disappearance and the lack of information or leads. This is not unusual and the case can be re-opened (judicially) at any stage if there are further developments.

The Guardia Civil investigation into the named person’s disappearance has included the following steps:

Extensive physical search of the area where the named person disappeared (helicopters, specialist tracking teams etc)

CCTV cameras from petrol stations on motorways were checked

Any traffic offences which occurred in the area in the hours following the named person’s disappearance were thoroughly checked for any link

Interviews with the named person’s family & friends

Examination of personal effects & forensic analysis of any clothing found in area

Retention of call & credit card logs

Tracing any possible vehicle which may be connected to the disappearance of the named person

Disseminating the description of the named person, photo etc to all police agencies in Spain, Europe & through Interpol

Disseminating same to missing person websites (information currently on at least 12 specialised sites)

The DNA of the named was person checked against the database of unclaimed bodies in all of Spain (will remain flagged on this system, should a future match be made)

Interviews with people in bars, taxi ranks and bus/train stations in the area

Consultation with psychological experts

Following up & monitoring of the named person’s MSN messenger contacts – very difficult as permission has to be obtained from Microsoft in relation to specific contacts [the mother of the named person has said that they had approximately 11 email accounts and over 3,000 contacts.]

Investigation of reported sightings of the named person

Gardaí interviewed several members of the family of the named person in Ireland (at request of Guardia Civil) with a view to ascertaining the last contact made with the named person and creating a background profile.

Request by the Guardia Civil for assistance in accessing UK phone records was facilitated by the Garda Liaison Officer in Madrid via UK colleagues as soon as received. This was on foot of a statement made by a person known to the named person that the named person had contacted her from a UK mobile number (months after her disappearance) – unfortunately, after investigation by police, this turned out not to be the case.

The Embassy remains in contact with the senior officer leading the investigation. The police investigation remains open and has not been closed from an operational point of view. The police continue to follow up every possible lead, and to cross-check new cases for any potential links with the disappearance of they named person. They advise that family members should continue to pass on any information to them through official Police channels. The Guardia Civil also continue to follow up on any reported sightings of the named person. They remain at the service of the family and of the Embassy. Any substantive information received is passed on to the family of the named person. I wish to assure the Deputy that my Department and our Embassy in Madrid will continue to monitor developments in this case.