Speech by Minister of State James Browne at National Missing Persons Day 2023

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Good morning and welcome to all families and friends, invited guests and contributors to Missing Persons Day.

It is an honour for me to speak with you at this very important annual event.

Missing Persons Day is one of the most important days in the Department of Justice calendar.

It is the day when we hear some of the stories of those who are missing and it is the day, where by drawing focus to missing persons, we might refresh someone’s memory or inspire them to come forward with information they might have.

Next year, Missing Persons Day will serve as the centrepiece for a new Missing Persons Week. Missing Persons Week will comprise of a week-long series of events and social media campaign aimed at bringing much needed awareness to missing persons cases and hopefully answers for those left behind.

I know that Dermot Browne, whose Missing Persons Helpline does such valuable work, will speak about today’s theme of hope. I, too, would like to say a few words about hope to begin our ceremony.

Although the circumstances around each story of a missing person may vary, everyone who has had a family member or friend go missing hopes for the same thing – a resolution. For everyone, this resolution will be different. The nature of ambiguous loss means that reaching this resolution, and what it will entail, is unclear.

This uncertainty is uniquely painful and I have no doubt that it can only be truly appreciated by those who find themselves in these circumstances.

Coming together on Missing Persons Day can, hopefully, create a sense of solidarity among all of you who have experienced tragic loss.

Being able to share an experience with someone who has gone through the same thing can, I hope, help, even in some small way.

When I arrived this morning, I was struck by the genuine sense of warmth between everyone here as they greeted each other.

It is clear to see how important these connections are. We can draw strength from each other to keep going in our darkest moments, to maintain hope when it feels like there is none.

Today we will hear from a number of family members of missing persons who have kindly volunteered to tell their stories. It is a deep privilege for me, as I am sure it is for us all, to hear from them.

Thank you very much to Rita Mooney, Michael Jacob, Leona Tighe, and Rom Hyde for sharing their stories.

I look forward, as I am sure you all do, to hearing the musical contributions from Bianca Rohleder and her partner Robbie, Don Mescall, the choir from Loreto Dalkey, and, of course, the Garda band.

Today’s ceremony also gives us an opportunity to hear from those who dedicate so much of their time to locating missing persons and in effort to help bring closure to the families of missing persons.

I look forward to hearing from Jon Hill, the lead investigator for the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson of the PSNI, and Colin Bell of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust about all of their valuable work.

I, and my colleague Minister McEntee, are conscious of the part our department can play in fostering that hope and providing the family and friends of missing people to stay the path.

That is why, we are continuing vital work to help bring a resolution, whatever that may be, to you and your families.

Last year, we committed to publishing a database of unidentified remains in Ireland. In May of this year, we published the first ever unidentified remains database which now comprises of 45 records.

That was a positive first step, but it is only the first. We are committed to exploring how we can improve the database. These improvements may be through the inclusion of appropriate images and more detailed information, if available. I know that the Unidentified Human Remains Forum met recently to discuss what improvements could be made and will continue those discussions over the coming months.

The Forum is comprised of officials from my department, members of An Garda Síochána, Forensic Science Ireland, the State Pathologist, and the Coroner Service. There is an appetite across all agencies to see an effective unidentified remains database, which will evolve as necessary.

The Unidentified Remains Database, and many missing persons cases, depends heavily on the collection and processing of DNA samples. Forensic Science Ireland play a vital role contributing to our National DNA database which was first established in 2015.

FSI are in the process of moving into their new purpose-built facility in Backweston.

The new facility opens up new horizons for forensic services in Ireland. It will allow for a more integrated forensic service, where all Chemical Analysis, DNA & Biological Analysis and Physical Analysis services can be provided from the same location in an integrated and cohesive way.

FSI officials are here today to collect DNA samples and I would encourage family members of missing persons to speak to do them about providing a sample, if you have not done so already.

The State Pathologist is another state agency who contributes to the work of locating and identifying missing persons. This year, my department, as an Enterprise Partner, committed to funding post-doctoral research to be carried out by Dr. Niamh McCullagh in collaboration with the Office of the State Pathologhist.

Dr. McCullagh, who spoke at last year’s Missing Persons Day, will be working on a project entitled ‘Searching for Missing Homicide Victims: Developing a Data Driven Model’.

Dr. McCullagh’s research, which she will carry out alongside State Pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan and, will expand and improve the search paradigm for missing persons presumed to be victims of homicide through more extensive data collection and the addition of more recent cases from the Office of the State Pathologist database.

This research project has the potential to have significant positive impacts for An Garda Síochána in investigating missing persons cases, and of course for the families of missing loved ones and the wider public. I am very pleased that my department is involved in such innovative and potentially impactful work.

I will finish by commending the work of An Gardaí Síochána, and specifically the Missing Persons Unit, who continue to do their vital work. Members attached to The Unit assist District Officers in their management of missing person investigations, advising local Gardaí on complex missing person investigations, co-ordinate DNA retrieval from family members of persons on the missing person database, and provide assistance in the areas of training and policy implementation.

Gardaí all around the country, working in their communities, also play a hugely comforting role in the lives of families who have had a loved one go missing. I would like to extend my thanks to the Garda members who work so closely with families for their service and assistance over many years.

I want to thank everyone here for attending today’s ceremony, in person and virtually. My special thanks, once again, to all our speakers today and particularly our family speakers for sharing your stories and allowing us to commemorate your loved ones. We are keeping hope alive, and today is very much part of that.

Thank you.

I now welcome Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, to the stage.