THE FAMILY OF a man who is missing with his girlfriend and believed to have been murdered have made a fresh appeal for information.

Gardaí, who launched a new search earlier this week, said William Maughan and Anastasija Varslavane were last seen in April 2015.

In 2016 the case was upgraded to a murder investigation. Seven people have previously been arrested by gardaí investigating the disappearance.

Helen and Joe Maughan, the parents of William Maughan, visited the site of the search in north Co Dublin today.

Yesterday, gardaí started a search of open lands in north Co Dublin which is set to continue over the coming days. Mr Maughan and Ms Varslavane were last seen on April 14 2015.

Speaking at the site, Mrs Maughan appealed to the public for more information.

She said: “My thought is, I just hope today is going to be the day that they find William and Ana and please God they will be found.

“I would like to ask anyone out there that has any information on William and Ana to please pass it on.

“It’s nine years now since April and things change and things have changed. I would like them to look at me and Joe and my family and what we’re are going through. Just pass any [information] – it might be small and doesn’t mean a lot to them, but it will mean a lot to us and police. Please pass it on and let us have closure.

“If I get him back and I bury him, I can go to his grave and I can say ‘good morning son or goodnight son’, and I know he’s there and before I leave this, my time on Earth and my husband Joe, at least my family won’t have to go through what we’re going through. We will have that closure.”

The couple had been living in a caravan in Gormanston, Co Meath, but had decided to return to Mr Maughan’s family home in Tallaght.

The couple had been in Balbriggan on April 14, and got a taxi shortly after 2.30pm to Gormanston, where Mr Maughan’s mother was to collect them and their belongings.

He spoke to his mother at around 2.30pm, asking her to come to Gormanston, but when she arrived just before 3pm, she could not find the pair.

She went on to report them as missing.

Gardaí said an extensive investigation was launched with several searches and inquiries, and the case was upgraded to a murder investigation after a review in September 2016.

A Garda spokesperson said they are keeping the family fully updated, and reissued an appeal for anyone with information about the disappearance and murder of Mr Maughan and Ms Varslavane to speak with investigating gardai.

“Given the passage of time since their disappearance, individuals’ personal circumstances may now have changed and people may now be in a position to either speak to investigating gardaí or to provide information now that they may not have been able to provide before,” they said.

Anyone with information should contact Ashbourne Garda Station on 01 8010600 or any Garda station.

To provide information confidentially contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.