New map gives body searchers hope

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Experts searching for the remains of a man believed to have been abducted by the IRA in 1981 have said an anonymous map is "potentially significant".

Crossmaglen man Charles Armstrong, 57, one of the so-called Disappeared, went missing on his way to Mass.

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains said the map given anonymously indicated a previously unsearched area.

They said it supports their belief he is buried in a bog in County Monaghan.

Mr Armstrong's family believe he was killed when he resisted an attempt to hijack his car.

Despite two anonymous maps and an extensive dig of the area near the Irish border last year, they have not pinpointed the burial spot.

All we want is to bring daddy home for the last time, give him a Christian burial and let us have a grave to visit and grieve Anna McShaneCharlie Armstrong's daughter <a class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7721560.stm">Who were the 'Disappeared'? </a>

Investigators said they were taking the new information contained on this third map "very seriously".

"This potentially could be the breakthrough we've been desperately hoping for in our search for the remains of Charlie Armstrong," said a spokesperson.

"We have always believed that he is buried in a bogland area in Colgah, County Monaghan, but unfortunately searches, including one undertaken by the Commission last summer, have been unsuccessful."

They appealed for the person who sent the map to "come forward and speak to us in confidence under the protections offered by the commission so that we can finally, after all these years, return the remains of Charlie Armstrong to his family for a Christian burial".

'Emotional rollercoaster'

These comments were echoed by Mr Armstrong's daughter, Anna McShane, who said: "It's difficult to keep your feelings in check because being one of the families of the disappeared, is like being on an emotional rollercoaster.

"On the one hand, this could be the breakthrough we've been praying for over the years, and on the other, it could lead to further heartbreak."

She added: "All we want is to bring daddy home for the last time, give him a Christian burial and let us have a grave to visit and grieve."

Fourteen people abducted and murdered during the Troubles were classified as the 'Disappeared'. So far, five bodies have been recovered, but the burial sites of the remaining nine are unknown.

The IRA admitted responsibility for killing and secretly burying 10 of the 14, while one was admitted by the INLA. No attribution has been given to the remaining three, but it is largely the view of the families that they were victims of the IRA.