THE FAMILY OF Aengus ‘Gussie’ Shanahan have appealed to the public to help them find out what happened to him on the night he disappeared 18 years ago.
Earlier last month gardaí announced that improvements in DNA technology had enabled them to do new tests on remains discovered on the Shannon Estuary in 2001. These tests confirmed the bone fragments were those of the 20-year-old.
His father Bob Shanahan has previously told TheJournal.ie that he believes his son was murdered after an altercation the night he went missing, 11 February 2000. He was last seen leaving Coopers Bar on St Joseph Street in Limerick City and walking down Old School House Lane.
Tonight his sister Gráinne will make an appeal on RTÉ’s Crimecall for anyone with information about what happened to Gussie to speak up.
“He had a fantastic relationship with my mam, they just had a kind of special bond so it was such a huge loss to Mammy when he went. It genuinely broke her heart,” she said.
Nancy Shanahan died three years ago and her husband said her dying wish was to have Gussie – the baby of the family -buried with her.
“While we’ve got him back and we’re so grateful to have him back and to finally lay him to rest, for me and probably for the rest of the family it’s like losing him all over again,” Gráinne said.
Now there’s so many unanswered questions – what did happen to him that night? Did he suffer? Was he alone? And probably sadness that you weren’t there to protect him.
She urged anyone who knows something about that night to “answer all those questions for us and give us that final closure”.
Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 1800 40 50 60.
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