Yorkshire team finds murder body after 29 years

THE body of a man who disappeared in Northern Ireland 29 years ago has been buried at last, as a result of work by University of Bradford forensic archaeologists who recovered his remains.

Charlie Armstrong, 57, who disappeared on 16 August 1981, was one of 16 people kidnapped, murdered and secretly buried during the Troubles by proscribed organisations, principally the Provisional IRA.

He has now been buried in his hometown of Crossmaglen in South Armagh.

Mr Armstrong went missing on his way to Mass at St Patrick’s in Crossmaglen, and 29 years later, his funeral service has been held in the same church.

The University of Bradford and John McIlwaine, the forensic archaeologist who heads the team, were publicly thanked during the funeral address for their role in locating his body.

Bishop Gerard Clifford told mourners: “Today is a day of relief, a day to close a chapter in the lives of the Armstrong family.

“The loss of one’s own is as deeply felt today as it was 29 years ago. It is still a day of mourning for one’s loved one. It is a day to end the torment, the fear, the frustration and the anger.”

Mr McIlwaine, who attended the funeral, said: “I’ve got to know Charlie’s widow, Kathleen, and their children very well over the years and know how much it means to them to bring Charlie home and give him a proper burial in consecrated ground.

“I feel proud that the team has helped them bring their many years of waiting to an end.”

The team works for the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) on the basis of intelligence received – usually anonymously – which is then checked and filtered by the commission’s investigators.

Once a potential site has been identified, the team can begin work. In Ireland, many of the bodies are buried in former cut-away peat bogs, so sites often need to be drained before excavation can begin.

Mr Armstrong’s body was buried in an area of peat bogland at Colgagh, Co Monaghan.

Working within an area the size of three football pitches, the Bradford team had to painstakingly draw up the soil, three to four inches at a time, to be sifted through before the next level was taken up, eventually reaching a depth of six feet.

It took the team a month, often working in strong winds and torrential rain, to locate the body.

There were several false alarms before the body was found, a few feet below the surface. After careful excavation, the body was sent for DNA testing and eventually the ICLVR officially confirmed that the remains were those of Mr Armstrong.

Sixteen people were murdered by republican paramilitaries and secretly buried in isolated parts of Ireland during the Troubles.

Six bodies of the people known as the Disappeared have been recovered, but others remain missing. The commission set up to find the remains was established in 1999.

The University of Bradford is unique in having internationally acknowledged expertise in forensic science and forensic archaeologists who are highly regarded by UK and foreign police forces.

Mr McIlwaine added: “Forensic archaeologists from the university regularly work alongside the UK police on criminal cases.

“It took a great deal of persistence and patience to recover Charlie’s remains but that is the nature of the work we do.”

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