13-05-2025
Families of Ireland's missing reveal pain as the Irish Mirror launches campaign
Thousands of people are reported missing to the Gardaí every single year in Ireland.
Most will turn up alive in the hours and days that follow. Sadly, the remains of others will be returned to grieving families for closure.
But there is another group, those that are reported missing and never found. The ones who truly appear to have vanished into thin air without a trace.
Their faded missing persons posters with large red lettering remain on display in GP surgeries, local takeaways, and community noticeboards for months and sometimes even years.
Since 2021, 45,910 missing persons reports have been made to Gardaí for 17,691 individuals - 198 of whom have not been found.
They are among the thousands of faces that stare out from the Missing Persons section on the Garda website, stretching all the way back to the '70s.
Some are smiling, some look deeply troubled, while the picture used for others is barely recognisable.
It is a depressing catalogue of misery showing a motley assortment of individuals who are only connected because they've never been found.
Behind each case is a family which has been plunged into the dizzying depths of despair - where they are paralysed with heartache and their lives are permanently on hold.
They are truly trapped in limbo. They are plagued with torment and anguish, and subjected to a lifetime of wondering what happened to their loved one.
They spend countless hours each and every day racking their brains for any sort of clues to help bring their nightmare to an end.
Today, The Irish Mirror launches its 'Missed' campaign, which aims to highlight the forgotten, unsolved, or underreported cases of missing people across Ireland.
Our series will delve into the country's most high-profile cases - from Trevor Deeley, who vanished after a work Christmas party in 2000, to schoolboy Philip Cairns' disappearance in 1986.
We will also look into cases that began as missing person investigations before they were upgraded, such as the Elizabeth Clarke, Annie McCarrick, JoJo Dullard, and, more recently, Michael Gaine probes.
Our first instalment will highlight three families whose loved ones' cases have faded from national memory and perhaps never received the level of attention they deserved in the first place.
Luke Price has been missing since January 14, 2025.
The 27-year-old, who is originally from Offaly and worked as a chef, had travelled to Limerick from his home in Portlaoise to see his girlfriend, Danny.
His mum said there was no argument between the pair but for some reason, he decided to leave abruptly.
He was last seen on O'Curry Street at approximately 9pm, heading in the direction of Dock Road - but the trail ran cold after that.
His devastated mum Pauline Price said that despite extensive searches by the Gardaí, Tipperary Search and Rescue, the R115 helicopter, Valentia Coastguard, Marine Rescue, and Civil Defence along with volunteers - there has been no trace of her son.
Asked what emotions she's experiencing, Pauline said: 'Initially, it was shock horror, which has never gone away.
'But then you have infinite sadness and I think a numbness which certainly came over me.'
Pauline said keeping busy is her coping mechanism and said that 'not knowing' is the hardest part.
She explained: 'It's the not knowing if we're going to get him back, the not knowing if we're going to get him back in one piece or what condition he is going to be in if we ever get him back.
'It's the not knowing but also the fear of the worst coming true.'
Pauline said her initial theory was her son may have fallen into the River Shannon but there's a part of her that holds out hope he is still alive.
She explained: 'For the first few days, it was like they're searching for a body - and I thought please God they'll find him alive.
'Part of me still thinks the worst but another part of me is almost convinced he's somewhere in West Clare and he's found someone to help him.
'I don't know why I think he's in West Clare other than the proximity to where he went missing.
'As for whether or not he's still alive, that's one thing I don't know. I really don't know, I'd like to think that he is, I hope that he is and I have to believe that he is.
'But there's always the possibility that the worst may have happened and that we'll find his remains.'
Pauline added: 'The longer it goes, the harder it becomes to be hopeful. I'm deeply aware of the fact that we're only three months into this nightmare.
'If he is alive, if he's off in Clare or in Galway with a hippy commune or whatever, if he doesn't want to be found, I could learn to live with that - maybe not accept it but I could learn to live with it so long as I knew he was okay - that he was safe.
'But not knowing is unbearable. The sadness is unbearable, it's overwhelming.'
Asked if she had a message for Luke if he was still alive, Pauline said: 'He needs to know that there is no blame to be apportioned to him and that if and when he chooses to come home or that he is found.
'He will be accepted with open arms for who he is and whatever choices he has made which led to his disappearance, we'll support him and we'll help him and love him.'
Mum Pauline also explained that in recent months, Luke began to use his middle name 'Gabriel' and has previously talked about adopting her maiden name of 'Kelly'.
The last confirmed sighting of Anthony Hanlon was on December 3, 2024.
The 39-year-old, who had been living in homelessness services in Drogheda, made a withdrawal on Permanent TSB on O'Connell Street in Dublin on this date.
His sister Jessica officially reported him missing on December 14 after a pal told her he had not seen Anthony for a while.
Jessica explained that she was not in contact with her brother at the time of his disappearance because of his addiction to drugs.
Jessica explained that she tried to get her brother into rehab and get him help on numerous occasions to no avail.
Most worryingly, she revealed Anthony had told her, members of his family, and some of his friends in the lead-up to his disappearance that if he was to go missing, to look at a particular individual who was known to him.
Jessica said this information has been passed on to the Gardaí.
Asked about what it's like to have a missing loved one, Jessica said: 'We're in limbo, I had to leave my job.
'I'm putting milk into the presses, I'm not functioning. My mother has lost four stone, the woman can't talk without crying. She's fading away.
'I'm not sleeping, I'm hardly eating. My head is all over the place. I don't know if he's murdered, if he's lying somewhere, if he's on a beach somewhere or he's met somebody and they're looking after him - I couldn't tell you.
'We just want him back, no matter if he's dead or alive. If he's dead, we just want to put him at peace and bring him home.'
She also doesn't believe her brother, who didn't drink or take drugs up until a couple of years ago, would take his own life.
Jessica explained: 'He was very religious, he carried his bible everywhere and he went to church.
'He told me 'Jessica, I'd never take my life, it's against the Bible'.
'(But) I think if he was to take his own life, he would have just taken a load of tablets (not go missing).'
Cian Langelaan was last seen on September 24, 2020, after he was dropped by a taxi to Horn Head in Dunfaghy from Letterkenny in Donegal.
The day beforehand, the 27-year-old had been released from Letterkenny University Hospital where he was being treated for his mental health.
His mum Anthea Langelaan was living in the UK and drove to Donegal after learning her son had disappeared.
To make matters worse, Cian's disappearance coincided with strict Covid-19 measures which meant Anthea had to isolate for two weeks after arriving in Ireland.
She explained: 'It was awful, I didn't have any of my family with me. I went over on my own and when I got there, friends used to come and visit but all they could do was come and wave through the window.'
When asked how she's coping now, Anthea said: 'It has been more than four years ago now, I've sort of settled into what I would call a different kind of normality.
'I'm not in tears every day but there are some days something I would see or smell might trigger the emotions. I'm just living day to day now.'
Anthea said she hasn't given up hope and still believes it's possible her son Cian could still be alive.
She added: 'Until you get proof, one way or another you keep a little bit of hope alive.
'I think in many ways he possibly did end his life that day but I don't have proof of that, he could be living rough on the streets, you just don't know and until you know you can't have closure really.
'I'm 75 now and it's quite likely that I'll end my days not knowing what ever happened to my son. I'm not alone in that regard either.'
