Spain - Amy Fitzpatrick, 15, Malaga, 1 Jan 2008

[Deleted member 268165]

Hi, could anyone here give a brief summary of how this case stands now? Thanks a lot.

 

[Deleted member 268165]

This is what I have. Thanks for your comments.

Timeline of the Case​

• 1 January 2008 (Official): Amy Fitzpatrick, a 15-year-old Irish teenager, disappeared in Mijas Costa (Málaga) around 10 p.m. after leaving her friend Ashley’s house in the Calypso urbanisation. She never made it home, and no further trace of her was found.
• 3 January 2008 (Official): Amy’s mother, Audrey Fitzpatrick, reported her disappearance to the Guardia Civil. Searches were launched along the usual path between Ashley’s house and Amy’s home.
• 13 January 2008 (Official): Authorities stated they were considering two possibilities: a voluntary disappearance or a forced abduction. Amy’s computer and DNA samples were examined. Friends, neighbours, and family members – including Audrey and her partner Dave Mahon – were interviewed.
• 6 March 2008 (Official): Ireland’s then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern met with Audrey and Dave in Dublin. He pledged the Irish government’s support and stated both voluntary disappearance and foul play were still being investigated.
• 10 August 2008 (Official): The family’s lawyer’s office in Costa del Sol was burgled. A laptop and Amy’s Nokia mobile, which were being used in the investigation, were taken. Only items related to Amy’s case were stolen, raising suspicions the burglary was linked to the disappearance.
• 6 June 2009 (Official): Audrey received an anonymous phone call from a man demanding €500,000 in ransom, claiming Amy was being held in Madrid. The numbers used were untraceable prepaid lines, and the caller was never identified.
• May 2011 (Official): Three witnesses reportedly claimed to have seen Amy in a bar in Calahonda with a blonde woman a few hours after she was last seen. The Guardia Civil never officially confirmed this lead.
• May 2012 (Speculative): An anonymous source claimed that Amy had been murdered by gangster Eric “Lucky” Wilson. The family initially considered this theory plausible, as Amy had been seen with an older man in the area. However, both Irish and Spanish police ruled it out, and in 2016, Audrey later admitted she had been misled.
• 26 May 2013 (Official): Amy’s brother Dean Fitzpatrick, aged 23, was fatally stabbed in Dublin. Dave Mahon, Audrey’s partner, claimed he acted in self-defence.
• 6 May 2016 (Official): Dave Mahon was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. Amy’s disappearance remained unresolved.
• July 2021 (Official): Mahon was released after serving five years. Amy’s father Christopher and aunt Christine launched a petition to reopen the case and called for EU legislation on cold cases involving missing persons abroad.
• 23 January 2023 (Speculative): The family received an anonymous tip suggesting Amy was buried at the Mijas racecourse. Christine urged the Guardia Civil to search the site. Authorities made no public comment.
• March 2025 (Speculative): A Spanish television programme revisited the case, highlighting old hypotheses such as the racecourse lead. New claims were presented, including a bag of Amy’s clothes found at her friend’s house, but no new official evidence was disclosed.

---

Media Timeline​

• 13 January 2008 (Official): Spanish media reported on the Guardia Civil’s active investigation and the two hypotheses under consideration.
• 6 March 2008 (Official): News outlets covered the meeting between Bertie Ahern and Amy’s family, highlighting diplomatic support.
• 25 May 2012 (Speculative): Irish media reported the alleged link between Amy’s disappearance and Eric Wilson, a theory later disproven.
• 2 January 2018 (Official): On the 10th anniversary of her disappearance, a retrospective piece summarised the timeline and confirmed the investigation remained open.
• 25 October 2016 (Speculative / Correction): Audrey publicly admitted she had been misled about the supposed gangster connection.
• 23 August 2021 (Official): Irish media reported that the family launched a campaign to push for an EU cold case framework and demanded a new investigation.
• 23 January 2023 (Speculative): Spanish television mentioned the anonymous tip about Amy possibly being buried at the Mijas racecourse. Christine called on authorities to investigate.
• 2 January 2024 (Official): On the 16th anniversary of her disappearance, a vigil was held. The family reiterated their call for justice and appealed for new information.
• 1 March 2025 (Speculative): A Spanish current affairs show examined the case again, focusing on the racecourse tip and claiming it was the only active lead in over a decade.
• 8 March 2025 (Speculative): The same programme interviewed Amy’s father and aunt in Dublin, who presented new materials and stated that Amy was afraid of her stepfather. These statements, though emotionally powerful, have not been officially substantiated.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Her aunt, Christine Kenny, has drawn parallels with a more high-profile case, stating: "Amy is Ireland's Madeleine McCann. She was only a child when she went missing but yet she has been ignored and forgotten. We have not heard from the Spanish police in years. There is no contact, no liaison with us.

"All we are asking for is for a review of Amy's case and for it to be upgraded from a missing person's case to a murder enquiry. We have no doubt Amy is more than likely dead but all her dad Christopher wants to do is to find her, bring her home and bury her."

Amid a renewed online campaign by the family, we revisit the haunting details of Amy's case and the subsequent tragedy that struck her brother years later

Amy's aunt Christine has now issued an appeal for assistance in the ongoing search for her niece, stating that there are individuals who know the truth but "are covering it up for whatever reason".

She also expressed their frustration with the Irish Government, remarking that despite years of communication, "little or nothing" has been done.

Concluding her plea, she remarked: "We repeatedly ask them for their help but nothing ever happens. They know Amy was a child, an Irish citizen, but yet they do nothing. It is very frustrating and so wrong."

'Ireland's Madeleine McCann' vanished in Spain then second tragedy rocked family

Amy Fitzpatrick was just 15-years-old when she went missing in Spain in 2008, and her family are now calling for the investigation into her disappearance to be upgraded to a murder inquiry

www.belfastlive.co.uk

 

[su5ie]

Her aunt, Christine Kenny, has drawn parallels with a more high-profile case, stating: "Amy is Ireland's Madeleine McCann. She was only a child when she went missing but yet she has been ignored and forgotten. We have not heard from the Spanish police in years. There is no contact, no liaison with us.

"All we are asking for is for a review of Amy's case and for it to be upgraded from a missing person's case to a murder enquiry. We have no doubt Amy is more than likely dead but all her dad Christopher wants to do is to find her, bring her home and bury her."

Amid a renewed online campaign by the family, we revisit the haunting details of Amy's case and the subsequent tragedy that struck her brother years later

Amy's aunt Christine has now issued an appeal for assistance in the ongoing search for her niece, stating that there are individuals who know the truth but "are covering it up for whatever reason".

She also expressed their frustration with the Irish Government, remarking that despite years of communication, "little or nothing" has been done.

Concluding her plea, she remarked: "We repeatedly ask them for their help but nothing ever happens. They know Amy was a child, an Irish citizen, but yet they do nothing. It is very frustrating and so wrong."

'Ireland's Madeleine McCann' vanished in Spain then second tragedy rocked family

Amy Fitzpatrick was just 15-years-old when she went missing in Spain in 2008, and her family are now calling for the investigation into her disappearance to be upgraded to a murder inquiry

www.belfastlive.co.uk

My heart goes out to Christine and Amy's dad , it's like this case gets continually brushed under the carpet . All newspapers do is rehash the same story over and over again. How about these journalists start badgering and hounding the irish government to actually get something done instead of paying lip service to the family . We all know the story including the tragic murder of her brother Dean, his family don't need to have it repeated over and over for them the pain felt from that is all they need to remember those details .

One of the biggest red flags in this case is the files ,phone and laptop getting stolen from the lawyers office . Nothing else stolen despite their being items of monetary value there

Someone wanted them items gone ,someone that knew them items held the key to what happened to Amy or the very least what led up to her disappearance and imo murder .


What I want to know is why is Amy's case ignored, what is it that authorities are waiting for ?, a deathbed confession because they ain't going to get it as certain people have proved that even the killing of An- other is not enough .

Act on the tip offs , if money for the search is a problem for authorities come out and say it . We will crowd source to fund it . Her dad deserves to see justice done in his lifetime . Don't leave it for another 17 years .

 

[StillDiggin]

Mother of missing Amy Fitzpatrick fighting for life in hospital

Audrey Mahon, 57, whose teenage daughter Amy vanished in Spain in 2008, and whose son Dean was killed by her now husband, Dave Mahon, is in a critical condition in hospital with liver failure

www.dublinlive.ie

 

[su5ie]

Mother of missing Amy Fitzpatrick fighting for life in hospital

Audrey Mahon, 57, whose teenage daughter Amy vanished in Spain in 2008, and whose son Dean was killed by her now husband, Dave Mahon, is in a critical condition in hospital with liver failure

www.dublinlive.ie

No chance of a deathbed confession then , oh she will pull through . A liver can repair itself once alcohol is removed and with the doctors giving her medication for toxins in the brain , no doubt she will get better and be put on a transplant list .

I always felt Amy died at the hands of mcmahon that night or was trafficked due to those dave and audrey were mixing with and allowed around their kids .

 

[elliefant]

Every Irish person I know believes X did it, which is why the case doesn’t progress - if they didn’t have enough on him then they probably still don’t. His behaviour on the day of her disappearance, the missing/not missing phone, her friend’s testimony all point in one direction. Plus his behaviour and criminal conviction since show exactly how he treated those children. I can’t believe Amy’s mother’s stance. Disgusting imo.

I don’t know if it’s still up but years ago The Olive Press (ex-pat news) had fantastic articles/coverage, for anybody wanting to catch up.

 

[su5ie]

Every Irish person I know believes X did it, which is why the case doesn’t progress - if they didn’t have enough on him then they probably still don’t. His behaviour on the day of her disappearance, the missing/not missing phone, her friend’s testimony all point in one direction. Plus his behaviour and criminal conviction since show exactly how he treated those children. I can’t believe Amy’s mother’s stance. Disgusting imo.

I don’t know if it’s still up but years ago The Olive Press (ex-pat news) had fantastic articles/coverage, for anybody wanting to catch up.

I really wish this case could get the attention it deserves ,amy deserves .

Being on webslueths has shown me for every 1 missing childs case that blows up in the media there is tons of others that get very little attention and are really only recalled by the few in the far corners of the internet . Why is this . Amy was a child not some 18 or 20 year old who decided disappear to live off grid .

I honestly dont even think LE bothered to investigate if he who shall not be named was involved . I dont think the spanish or irish government gave Amys case the time of day otherwise the stable would be investigated even if just to use ground radar to see if there is anomolies or disturbances in the soil .

 

[su5ie]

Every Irish person I know believes X did it, which is why the case doesn’t progress - if they didn’t have enough on him then they probably still don’t. His behaviour on the day of her disappearance, the missing/not missing phone, her friend’s testimony all point in one direction. Plus his behaviour and criminal conviction since show exactly how he treated those children. I can’t believe Amy’s mother’s stance. Disgusting imo.

I don’t know if it’s still up but years ago The Olive Press (ex-pat news) had fantastic articles/coverage, for anybody wanting to catch up

Can anyone find the original presser with dave and audrey . And what was his behavior on the day she went missing ,any articles to hand i can look up . Would love to know more about the first few days of Amys disappearance .

I remember reading about Amys disappearance years ago but it was around the 1st or 2nd year anniversary . I suppose the case that kind of gets compared to Amys which is madeline mccann dominated the headlines at the time and my foray into the genre at that time was mainly reading books on gangland crimes and the mafia

Also i know there is an interview i think on the late late show that Audrey had amys phone in her hand ,but i cant find it