NEWS & EVENTS
SKY DOCUMENTARIES: SIX SILENT KILLINGS
Sky Documentaries broadcast their two part documentary series on six of Ireland's Missing Persons cases on 12th and 19th November 2023. View NMPH Chairperson Dermot Browne's response to the broadcast here (PDF 153kb).
PRESENTATION IN the DÁIL, 18TH October 2023
On the 18th October 2023, Dermot Browne, Chairperson of the National Missing Persons Helpline, addressed Oireachtas members in the AV room in Leinster house. To view the presentation click here (PDF 642kb).
FAMILY PEER SUPPORT MORNINGS
The National Missing Persons Helpline held a well attended support morning on 4th November 2023. If you would like to join us for our next Family Peer Support morning, contact Lynn
Posting alerts on NMPH Facebook page
Each and every day, we receive messages from members of the public, asking that we post details of a family member or friend who has gone missing. There are many reasons why somebody may choose to go missing and while it can cause tremendous worry and hurt, they are entitled to do so, as long as they are not in danger or a danger to others.
GDPR legislation places restrictions on the posting of personal details without permission.
An exception to this is a Garda Missing Persons Alert which is issued by Press Release. We strongly recommend that if you are worried for the safety of a family member whose whereabouts are unknown, you should contact Gardaí immediately and make a report. When doing so, and if you are a next of kin, you should give permission for Gardai to publicise the person's details if they consider it appropriate and/or necessary.
We cannot post any details until we receive a Garda public alert, please bear this in mind before messaging us
We are happy to advise or help in whatever way we can, but we have to follow the appropriate protocols.
*Special Notice*
The National Missing Persons Helpline is operated by Missing in Ireland Support Service (MISS) and we do our absolute utmost to try and help all who are affected by a missing loved one or friend. With the exception of our colleagues in CCMPSAR, we do not have any working or other agreements in place with entities operating in the general area of "Missing Persons" in this country. While we are happy for our posts to be shared as widely as possible, in order to reach a greater audience and increase the chances of finding those listed as "Missing", we do not approve of our alerts being recreated or digitally extracted and/or altered by others, particularly to the extent that they may rightly or wrongly be interpreted as originating from that particular source.
We recently posted about our logo being used on privately produced posters, without any prior notice or agreement. It has now been brought to our attention that selected extracts from our alerts are being broadcast on TikTok by another group whose name closely resembles our own. It is our policy to post Garda Alerts as they are issued, updates are provided as we receive them, the post is then removed after a short while out of respect to both the missing person and their families. Unfortunately, where our content is copied/pasted or otherwise altered and posted elsewhere, the information has the potential to be online for an indeterminate period of time. This can have a negative affect on both the individual whose details were published as well as the family - particularly in the case of a tragic outcome.
These developments are a worrying trend for us, as they are beyond our control. We would greatly appreciate if our followers could let us know of any cases where they think we are being misrepresented, so that we can begin to address the issue.
May 2023 Coronial data on unidentified remains published for the first time
Advancements in DNA profiling have led to case breakthroughs in recent years. The provision of a DNA profile to Forensic Science Ireland by family members of a missing person can assist in solving unidentified bodies and missing person cases.
With this in mind, in December 2022, Coroners were asked to return updated details of any unidentified remains for their coronial district as part of their annual statutory returns to the Minister for Justice. Minister McEntee committed to publishing this data once collated. Today, the Department of Justice is publishing the information returned by the Coroners, which may assist in the identification of the remains, for the first time.
Full report available here
Collaboration with Grafton Barbers
We have a partnership with Grafton Barbers which provides us with a new means of informing the public in the hope that it will jog someone’s memory or conscience and encourage them to come forward with information. Grafton Barbers have information screens in all of their branches, they are located in the waiting area and also street facing for passers-by. We have been provided with the facility to display images and details of four Missing Persons which will change at monthly intervals.
If you would like to see your missing loved one included in this initiative, please get in touch.
MAY 2021 - Database of unidentified human remains should be set up for families of missing people, coroner says
Currently there is no official record of how many unidentified bodies or remains are stored in hospital mortuaries or laying in graves.
A database of unidentified human remains should be established to help return them to their loved ones, a coroner says.
Galway West Coroner Dr Ciaran MacLoughlin said this database should be shared across all Garda stations and coroners offices in the Republic.
Currently there is no official record of how many unidentified bodies or remains are stored in hospital mortuaries or laying in graves.
Dr MacLoughlin was speaking at the inquest into the death of Denis Walsh Jnr, whose family were informed last February that his partial body had in fact been discovered 25 years ago, held in a hospital mortuary for 18 years and eventually buried in a communal grave in Co Galway.
Mr Walsh went missing from his home in Caherdavin, Limerick, on March 9, 1996.
Four weeks later on April 7, and unknown to his family, the 23-year old’s remains, including his torso, partial skull and hair, arms and forearms, were discovered washed up on Inis Mor, off Galway Bay.
