Ireland Ireland - Mary Boyle, 6, Cashelard, County Donegal, 18 March 1977

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Convicted child serial killer Robert Black (66) has been identified as a suspect in the case of a missing seven-year-old girl from Co Donegal.

Gardai are to review fresh evidence that Black may have abducted Mary Boyle in 1977 and also attempted to abduct her identical twin sister a year later...

Black is currently serving multiple life sentences for the brutal abductions and murders of four girls in the early 1980s, including nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy in Ballinderry, Co Antrim in 1981, for which he was convicted in 2011.

He was given a 25-year sentence, but told by the judge that it would be at least 89 years before he could ever be released.

Police in Britain are now asking a specialist complex case unit to examine files in relation to two other girls, April Fabb (13) who disappeared in Norfolk in 1969, and Genette Tate (13) from Devon who was killed in 1978.
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http://www.independent.ie/irish-new...n-missing-irish-schoolgirl-case-30658664.html
 
http://www.kildare-nationalist.ie/2...h-disappearance-of-six-year-old-girl-in-1977/

A man has been arrested by gardaí today in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a six-year-old girl in 1977.

The 64-year-old man is being held in Mullingar Station under the Criminal Justice Act 1984 and is currently being questioned. He can be detained for up to 24 hours.

The arrest comes after new evidence was discovered by the Review Team based in the Northern Region.
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http://www.independent.ie/irish-new...-girl-mary-boyle-6-37-years-ago-30681506.html

It is understood the arrested man has several convictions for sexual abuse going back to the 1960s, and is from Co Donegal.

It is understood he is serving a sentence for indecent assault at present.
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The mystery of what happened to Mary Boyle has plagued our community for as long as I can remember. I hope we're finally about to get some answers and an end to the torture her family are going through.
 
I'd heard of the case long ago and, long ago, though I knew it would not be forgotten, quietly I gave up most hope that it might be solved. "O me of little faith," to twist that line and thus so to speak -- this would appear to be that long-hoped-for solution.
 
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/man-released-in-mary-boyle-disappearance-probe-30685670.html

A suspected arrested yesterday Tuesday by gardai was tonight eleased from Garda custody without charge.

"Pending further investigation a file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions," said gardai.
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http://www.independent.ie/irish-new...pearance-mother-of-missing-girl-30683490.html

Ann Boyle (69) says that she knows the man arrested in connection with the country's longest running missing persons investigation yesterday...

"I knew him growing up," Mary's mother Ann said. "He was younger than me but I knew him then all right."
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http://www.thejournal.ie/fresh-appeal-mary-boyle-disappearance-2364294-Oct2015/
IRELAND’S LONGEST MISSING child case is back in the headlines once again.
Mary Boyle (6) disappeared while visiting her grandparents in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal on 18 March 1977. She is presumed dead.
Yesterday, Mary’s twin sister Ann Doherty and Margo O’Donnell, a sister of Daniel and neighbour and distant cousin of the Boyles, were interviewed at Pearse Street Garda Station in Dublin.
Journalist Gemma O’Doherty is working with the women to highlight the case.
Doherty has claimed her sister was killed by somebody known to her. She also believes she was sexually abused before her death.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, O’Doherty said Doherty “has known for many years who her sister’s killer is” after a person told her of their identity.
O’Doherty said Doherty recently went to gardaí in Dublin to put the investigation back in the spotlight.
 
Patience said:
http://www.thejournal.ie/fresh-appeal-mary-boyle-disappearance-2364294-Oct2015/
IRELAND’S LONGEST MISSING child case is back in the headlines once again.
Mary Boyle (6) disappeared while visiting her grandparents in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal on 18 March 1977. She is presumed dead.
Yesterday, Mary’s twin sister Ann Doherty and Margo O’Donnell, a sister of Daniel and neighbour and distant cousin of the Boyles, were interviewed at Pearse Street Garda Station in Dublin.
Journalist Gemma O’Doherty is working with the women to highlight the case.
Doherty has claimed her sister was killed by somebody known to her. She also believes she was sexually abused before her death.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, O’Doherty said Doherty “has known for many years who her sister’s killer is” after a person told her of their identity.
O’Doherty said Doherty recently went to gardaí in Dublin to put the investigation back in the spotlight.
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I'm skeptical of the details of that report. Obviously anything that keeps the case alive, and keeps the attention of the Gardaí on it is a good thing, but I have to express some doubts about the idea that Mary's sister knows the identity of the culprit because "somebody told her."

I'm from the same area where this happened and there are indeed all kinds of rumours which have occupied the local grapevine over the years, some of which sound very convincing. There was also a local fraudster, or "psychic" as she called herself, who wormed her way into the confidence of Mary's mother and told her an awful lot of nonsense over the years. So basically, I wouldn't get my hopes up that this latest news will come to anything.
 
Cappuccino said:
Robert Black is the most likely culprit imo. He was in the area at the time distributing posters for a travelling circus, it fits in with his pattern of behaviour, and I think he got away with a few unsolved murders of young girls including Mary Boyle.
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Media reports today put a link between child killer Robert Black, who spent time in Northern Ireland in 1977 and died in prison yesterday, and Mary’s disappearance.

"The possibility of him coming through the border when there was such a heavy police presence, it's actually laughable if it wasn't so serious.

"It's just inconceivable that Robert Black had anything to do with it.

"The evidence points in a very clear direction and it certainly doesn't, and never did, point in the direction of Robert Black and it is very disturbing."
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http://www.newstalk.com/The-mysterious-disappearance-of-6yearold-Mary-Boyle
 
That area of the border was always easy to cross no matter how much security the authorities thought was there. I know, I live in the area and the locals used to get away with smuggling all sorts back and forth across the border. Having said that, its unlikely that Robert Black would have had the local knowledge necessary to do it, so he's probably out of it.

Investigative journalist Gemma O'Doherty has made a documentary about the case, here's a trailer for it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtN19gKGY1Y&feature=youtu.be

I find the allegations in that trailer chilling, to think that political corruption has left a child killer walking round my community for 39 years is just beyond belief. And if the name Gallagher printed at the top of the Guardian article is the politician, well there's only one local politician of that name.
 
Cappuccino said:
I find the allegations in that trailer chilling, to think that political corruption has left a child killer walking round my community for 39 years is just beyond belief. And if the name Gallagher printed at the top of the Guardian article is the politician, well there's only one local politician of that name.
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Since the information is in the public domain it seems reasonable to say that the local politician with this name is Pat Gallagher. However, it seems difficult to see how he could have interfered with the initial investigation in 1977 as he was first elected in 1979 (although he may have had local influence at a party level). So, if political pressure was brought to bear in 1977/8 it seems it came from someone else. Is the suggestion that another elected politician pressured the Gardaí as a favour to this (or another) Gallagher? Is the suggestion that Pat Gallagher had some involvement or that he was just part of the cover up? Or should we be looking at an entirely different Gallagher? Given that all the names are clear can anyone shed any light on the direction of the finger at the Gallaghers and the nature of the allegations. It seems grossly unfair if names are being broadcast and causing innocent members of the family to be suspected.
 
alb1on said:
Since the information is in the public domain it seems reasonable to say that the local politician with this name is Pat Gallagher. However, it seems difficult to see how he could have interfered with the initial investigation in 1977 as he was first elected in 1979 (although he may have had local influence at a party level). So, if political pressure was brought to bear in 1977/8 it seems it came from someone else. Is the suggestion that another elected politician pressured the Gardaí as a favour to this (or another) Gallagher? Is the suggestion that Pat Gallagher had some involvement or that he was just part of the cover up? Or should we be looking at an entirely different Gallagher? Given that all the names are clear can anyone shed any light on the direction of the finger at the Gallaghers and the nature of the allegations. It seems grossly unfair if names are being broadcast and causing innocent members of the family to be suspected.
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It now emerges that the name Gallagher at the top of the Guardian article was misleading - it referred to the suspect in Mary's disappearance, not the politician accused of interfering in the case. I don't think I can name the politician in question yet without being libellous, but I will state categorically that it isn't Pat Gallagher.
 
One of the original searchers [non related] John Gallagher or the uncle...Gerry Gallagher perhaps. They are only omitting the name due to privacy I imagine.
 
Once Gemma O'Doherty's documentary is released both the name of the suspect and the name of the politician will be in the msm, so I suppose we'll have to wait till then for any further discussion.

(Although both names can be found in minutes on google already).
 
Journalist Gemma O'Doherty has just released her documentary regarding the case of Mary Boyle on YouTube. [video=youtube;0vGORoCbpXw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vGORoCbpXw[/video]
 
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