Latest Lisa Dorrian Searches Follow Fresh Information- PSNI

Police have returned to Ballyhalbert in County Down, the spot where Lisa Dorrian was last seen alive, to carry out fresh searches as a result of new information.

Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy attended the scene today, Tuesday 02 April, along with the Dorrian family.

Searches of the caravan park and disused airfield behind it commenced yesterday. Over 40 specialist search officers are scouring the Ards Peninsula site with new technology at their disposal.

Police believe Miss Dorrian, 25, was killed after attending a party at the caravan park in February 2005. Her body has never been found.

Det Supt Murphy said the "large-scale search operation" follows months of planning and has two purposes; to discover Lisa's body and fresh evidence surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance.

He continued: "There is no evidence that Lisa's murder was pre-planned. I am of the view that the deposition of Lisa's body was equally unplanned. I have long held the view that the answers to Lisa's murder remain in Ballyhalbert.

"To date, more than 400 searches have been conducted across Northern Ireland. The fact that they have not found Lisa's body has caused me to refocus our efforts more locally to the Ballyhalbert area."

Det Supt Murphy added that he was not prepared to discuss details of the new information, but urged the small number of people who hold information on the crime to come forward and abandon their concerns over self-incrimination.

Meanwhile, Lisa's sister Joanne Dorrian made an emotional plea for those who know where her body is to help police locate the remains.

"When Lisa first went missing we walked these fields, we thought we were just looking for her because she had just ran out in the night and she'd fallen and maybe just passed away in the cold," she said.

"Obviously we then knew that the police were looking at it as a murder investigation. To think that Lisa could be here where we are today, it's just so hard to imagine. We're grateful for everything the police are doing to find Lisa and to give her what she deserves.

"People can't imagine what this feels like, they can't imagine what it feels like not knowing where she is," she added.

Joanne described the devastating impact on her family over the past 14 years, saying that their mum passed away without the answers the family longs for.

"This is for Lisa, this is not for us. The people that know where she is knew Lisa and knew the kind of person that she was. They knew the funny person that she was and I'd just ask them to remember that and if they can come forward and help us to get some sort of peace, that's all that we can ask for."



(JG/CM)