Ireland Former detective recounts 1997 disappearance of Ciara Breen in Dundalk
Ciara Breen, a 17-year-old woman, left her home on Batchelor's Walk in Dundalk, Co Louth, through a sitting room window on the night of 13 February 1997 and was never seen again. The investigation was taken over in 2014 and upgraded from a missing persons case to murder. Liam Mullen, a man, was arrested on suspicion of murder in 1999 and again later, and was released without charge after the second arrest; a 2015 search of Balmer's Bog found nothing. Mullen died in Garda custody in 2017 after being arrested on suspicion of drink driving. In April 2024, ahead of a new documentary, retired Detective Inspector Pat Marry said he believes Ciara was killed and buried in bogland near her home.
- Reported
- Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Ciara Breen, 17, disappeared from her home in Dundalk, Co Louth, and was never seen again.
- Where
- She left her home on Batchelor's Walk by the sitting room window.
- Balmer's Bog is given as the place where she was last seen, while the retired detective believes she was buried in bogland close to her home.
- When
- She disappeared on the night of 13 February 1997.
- Cause
- Retired Detective Inspector Pat Marry believes Ciara was killed and buried in bogland near her home.
- Ciara left home to meet someone believed to be her killer, described as an older man she was seeing.
- Investigation
- The investigation was taken over in 2014 and upgraded from a missing persons case to murder.
- Liam Mullen was arrested on suspicion of murder in 1999 and questioned at length.
- Liam Mullen was arrested a second time on suspicion of murder and denied killing Ciara.
- A large-scale search of Balmer's Bog in 2015 found nothing.
- Charges
- Liam Mullen was released without charge after his second arrest.
- Other details
- Liam Mullen died in Garda custody in 2017 after being arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
- Ciara's story is featured in a new documentary, with an upcoming TG4 documentary titled Ar Iarraigh.
12 statements extracted from the articles
- whereCiara Breen left her home on Batchelor's Walk, Dundalk, through the sitting room window. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereBalmer's Bog is where Ciara was last seen. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenCiara Breen disappeared on the night of 13 February 1997. (irishmirror.ie)
- causeThe retired detective believes Ciara was killed and buried in bogland close to her home in Dundalk. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe investigation was taken over in 2014 and upgraded from a missing persons case to murder. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationLiam Mullen was arrested on suspicion of murder in 1999 and questioned at length. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationLiam Mullen was arrested a second time on suspicion of murder. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationLiam Mullen was released without charge after his second arrest. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationA large-scale search of Balmer's Bog in 2015 found nothing. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherCiara Breen was 17 and left home in Dundalk in February 1997 to meet someone believed to be her killer. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherLiam Mullen died in Garda custody in 2017 after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherCiara's story will be told in an upcoming Ar Iarraigh documentary on TG4. (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 14 Apr2024Former Ciara Breen disappearance investigator admits he 'apologises to her'
Retrospective feature tied to a new documentary on the 1997 disappearance. Adds the former detective's account of two arrests of Liam Mullen, his release without charge, a 2015 bog search, Mullen's 2017 death in Garda custody, and the TG4 documentary.
victim, Ciara Breen, 17, female, irish (judged from name)Ciara Breensuspect, Liam Mullen, 30s, male, named, irish (judged from name)Liam Mullen