By Denise O’Donoghue
Gardaí investigating the disappearance of a man from his home in Co Monaghan 18 years ago have reported a significant development after a car was recovered from Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh.
Michael 'Tony' Lynch disappeared from his home in Clones on January 6, 2002. The last known sighting of Mr Lynch was at Fermanagh Street, Clones at 6pm on that date.
Mr Lynch, who was known locally by the name Tony, was 55 years old and was originally from Magheraveely, Co Fermanagh. He was living in Clones prior to his disappearance and was reported missing on January 9, 2002.
The latest development arose after members of the public uncovered an anomaly in the water yesterday.
These men were aware of An Garda Síochána’s renewed appeal for information regarding the location of Michael ‘Tony’ Lynch’s car earlier this year and made contact with Clones Garda Station.
An Garda Síochána liaised closely with the PSNI and shortly after 2pm yesterday, police divers carried out an underwater search of the lake and discovered that a car was submerged.
The vehicle has been recovered for examination and is believed to be the Mitsubishi belonging to Mr Lynch.
"An Garda Síochána will continue to investigate missing person’s cases for as long as it takes. In this case An Garda Síochána have been searching for Mr Lynch for 18 years," said Inspector Graham Tolan of Monaghan Garda Station.
We are grateful to the members of the public who alerted us to this anomaly in the water.
"I’d like to remind the public that small pieces of information, no matter how insignificant they may seem, can often prove vital, as is the case today.
"We will continue to work with Police in Lisnaskea who are investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery".
As part of the renewed appeal into the disappearance of Mr Lynch in January of this year, gardaí conducted searches at 10 lakes in Co Monaghan.
These searches were to continue and were to include lakes in and around the border region, however the searches were suspended in March 2020 arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
A family liaison officer attached to An Garda Síochana has been appointed and is liaising with Mr Lynch’s family.
