Comment

POLICE investigating the suspected murder of a former miner whose body has never been found have renewed their appeal for information about his death.

Eddie Donnelly, 53, disappeared without trace six years ago yesterday from the home in Sacriston, County Durham, he shared with his sister.

Despite exhaustive police searches at locations in Sacriston and surrounding areas involving the use of specialist "body" dogs, Mr Donnelly has never been found.

A number of people have also been arrested and questioned in connection with his death but no-one has yet been brought to justice.

Three years ago the man leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Neil Malkin, confirmed that what had begun as a missing from home inquiry had become a murder hunt.

Det Supt Neil Malkin, said on the anniversary: "There is not a scrap of evidence to suggest that Mr Donnelly is alive and everything points to the likelihood that not only is he dead, but also that he met his death at someone else's hands.

"As it is the sixth anniversary of his disappearance we are once again taking the opportunity to appeal for further information about what has become of him.

"This remains very much a live inquiry and we are determined to bring the person or people responsible to justice.

"We remain convinced that there are individuals within the community in which Mr Donnelly lived who have information vital to the inquiry and that, for whatever reason, they have failed to come forward with those details.

"I would appeal to them now to salve their consciences and get in touch with us," he added.

Detectives can be contacted on the force's non-emergency telephone number, 0845 6060 365, or through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The police investigation has led to the arrest of five people and their subsequent release without charge. One of them, a 49-year-old man, died of natural causes in 2005 after being charged with perverting the course of justice.

The hunt for Mr Donnelly's remains has seen police search a woodside, old mine shafts and an old air raid shelter on the site of a former pit.

2:00am Wednesday 26th March 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login