Police confirm the identity of remains found in Co Down river

Belfast Telegraph

18 hours ago

A post-mortem examination has found the remains to be that of Gary Patterson who went missing from his hometown of Larne in October of last year.
The 45-year-old was last caught on CCTV leaving his flat in Priory Gardens and withdrew £100 from a cash machine in the Co Antrim town on October 12 at 10.30am
Detective Inspector Lyttle said: 'Mr Patterson, who was reported missing to police, was last seen in the Larne area on Saturday, 12th October 2024 . Our thoughts are with Gary's family at this sad time, and we express our heartfelt condolences to them.
'We would also like to thank the public for all of their assistance throughout this difficult time with searches and subsequent enquiries.'
Gary's disappearance sparked a multi-agency search operation with rivers, forests and the Larne Lough with his heartbroken brother, Simon Patterson, accepting they were 'looking for a body.'
Remains that were subsequently discovered in a river Crawfordsburn near the Ballyrobert Road area on Saturday have been found to be that of Gary's.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Simon expressed his relief at finding the body and said he received a call from the police detailing the remains were found alongside his brothers possessions.
'I first got the news on Sunday while we were doing a search and we received a phone call from police in CID [Criminal Investigation Department] asking them to come across to speak to us,' Simon said.
'There was that much information in the call [with the police], we sort of knew because the coat and his wallet had actually been found with the body.
News Catch Up - Tuesday 10th June
'We're just going through the motions. Because we have known for a wee while, we've sort of contacted funeral homes and stuff to have ourselves organized whenever the body is released.
'At the end of the day, our priority is to get closure and get him laid to rest.'
Throughout the months his brother was missing, Simon employed specialist diving squads with a submersible Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to search enclaves in Larne Lough.
Simon told this newspaper he had been conducting searches 'religiously' every week and pledged not to stop until his brother was found.
Gary was described an avid collector of DVDs, quiet and 'a wee bit of a loner', by his brother. He was known to be proud of his flat where he lived alone and 'was set in his routine', usually returning home by 4pm.
His distraught brother also labelled his sibling as a 'kind' man who 'never took a drink or drugs' and loved to frequent charity shops in his hometown.