# I hope the current search for Philip Cairns is conclusive



## truthseeker (7 May 2009)

I can remember when he went missing, same age as me and at the time I lived near where it happened. Frightened the life out of us as kids and I have often wondered over the years what happened.

I really hope, for his families sake, that some closure is brought to this mystery with the current search.


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## baldyman27 (7 May 2009)

Heard the interview with a guard that was heavily involved in the investigations. He sounded really, genuinely upset and affected by the whole thing. Tragic not to have a grave to visit for the family.


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## Smashbox (7 May 2009)

I hope they find his body to put their family out of the misery of not having his body. I assume thats how they will find him, awful story.


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## MandaC (7 May 2009)

I was a teenager when it happened.  When it was on the news today it brought it all back to me.  I realised how I cant comprehend how that family have felt throughout the 23 years or so that their son has been missing.

I know another family, whose son went missing in his late 20's.  He has never turned up.  It broke the family apart and ended up with both parents dying very young.

Also on the TV tonight was a programe about Madeleine McCann being two years missing.   Kate & Gerry McCann have aged so much in such a short time and are in so much turmoil that you can only pray for an outcome for them.


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## Luckycharm (8 May 2009)

It would be great - he was in the other class as me in junior school and occasionally played on the same football team (never played again) they found his bag in a local laneway - would be great to get some closure on this.


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## Smashbox (8 May 2009)

Just heard they've called off the search, found nothing.

So I guess the family won't be getting closure just yet afterall.


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## truthseeker (8 May 2009)

Thats terrible Smashbox, although I am aware that there have been many other searches over the years, not all of them publicised, so hopefully the family werent pinning their hopes on this one.

The horrible part of it is that SOMEONE out there knows what happened and their silence has condemned a family to years of mental torture.


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## Smashbox (9 May 2009)

Yeah

Seemingly a woman came forward and said she remembers a patch of soil being disturbed by the golf course where they searched. 

Seems funny she didnt say this years ago, and only thought of it now despite this case being kinda high profile for a number of years.


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## car (11 May 2009)

isnt this the wierdest thing.  I was a year ahead of him in school.  scared us all.    Lad I was in school with now a detective,  very firm ideas on what could(did) have happened,  but as the guards have never been able to prove anything  cant let any info out.    Lot of cases have information that never come into public arena.    Lack of evidence and so forth.

On last weeks developments I cant understand how the woman would remember such a thing first of all, then place it back to that time without having been aware of the occurences at the time.   2+2 and all that.


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## liaconn (11 May 2009)

car said:


> isnt this the wierdest thing. I was a year ahead of him in school. scared us all. Lad I was in school with now a detective, very firm ideas on what could(did) have happened, but as the guards have never been able to prove anything cant let any info out. Lot of cases have information that never come into public arena. Lack of evidence and so forth.
> 
> On last weeks developments I cant understand how the woman would remember such a thing first of all, then place it back to that time without having been aware of the occurences at the time. 2+2 and all that.


 
Apparently she did come forward at the time and the guards acted on her information. I've no idea, though, why they decided to search the same place again all these years later. 

The whole thing is very sad. I lived very near the Cairns at the time (my parents still do) and I can clearly remember the event. His parents must be still living in hell wondering what exactly happened to him.


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## truthseeker (11 May 2009)

liaconn said:


> I've no idea, though, why they decided to search the same place again all these years later.



I read in an article somewhere that there was a patch of ground in that wooded area that subsided in the past few weeks and whoever saw it reported it to the guards in case it was a shallow grave situation - this prompted them to look over the case files and saw someone had said he may be buried there years ago.

I really feel for his parents.


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## Sue Ellen (11 May 2009)

Clearly remember when it happened.  The strangest thing about it was the school bag which by all accounts was only placed in the laneway a day or two after he disappeared.  Would have to wonder if it was someone's conscience getting the better of them.  Why not just dispose of it.


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## truthseeker (11 May 2009)

Sue Ellen said:


> Clearly remember when it happened.  The strangest thing about it was the school bag which by all accounts was only placed in the laneway a day or two after he disappeared.  Would have to wonder if it was someone's conscience getting the better of them.  Why not just dispose of it.



Often wondered afterwards had it been found by kids who got scared with the media coverage and just left it back - or was it a false trail with the religion books missing?


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## liaconn (12 May 2009)

truthseeker said:


> Often wondered afterwards had it been found by kids who got scared with the media coverage and just left it back - or was it a false trail with the religion books missing?


 
There was a lot of speculation about that at the time but, if it was kids, they would all now be well into their thirties. Surely some of them would have the sense to realise the implications of what they did and would have come forward by now?


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## truthseeker (12 May 2009)

liaconn said:


> There was a lot of speculation about that at the time but, if it was kids, they would all now be well into their thirties. Surely some of them would have the sense to realise the implications of what they did and would have come forward by now?



Yes - thats true. Im back to the false trail theory then.

Ive always believed he MUST have been taken by car. Even today the Ballyroan Road is not that busy, there could be long minutes between vehicles passing on it. I think that is the only explanation for how he vanished into thin air. Just unlucky that no one was looking out their window at the time. 

Although that leads me to think he must have known the person in the car.


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## liaconn (13 May 2009)

truthseeker said:


> Yes - thats true. Im back to the false trail theory then.
> 
> Ive always believed he MUST have been taken by car. Even today the Ballyroan Road is not that busy, there could be long minutes between vehicles passing on it. I think that is the only explanation for how he vanished into thin air. Just unlucky that no one was looking out their window at the time.
> 
> Although that leads me to think he must have known the person in the car.


 
Although Ballyroan Road is quiet at certain times of the day, he disappeared at lunch time and it is always very busy then, with young kids being collected from school by their parents and older kids heading back to secondary school after lunch. I was actually thinking about it one day when I was driving past his house at about 1.30 and wondered how on earth a child could be dragged into a car at that time of the day without anyone noticing. If he got into a car, it must have been willingly, I would think.


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## Luckycharm (13 May 2009)

liaconn said:


> Although Ballyroan Road is quiet at certain times of the day, he disappeared at lunch time and it is always very busy then, with young kids being collected from school by their parents and older kids heading back to secondary school after lunch. I was actually thinking about it one day when I was driving past his house at about 1.30 and wondered how on earth a child could be dragged into a car at that time of the day without anyone noticing. If he got into a car, it must have been willingly, I would think.


 
Ballyroan is a busy road alright and especially at that time of day - he was a quiet lad I knew him (not that well) and don't think there is anyway he would have got into a car of someone he did not know.


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## Smashbox (13 May 2009)

I guess things like this applies not only to this young lad, but to anyone who vanishes into 'thin air' as it is.


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## liaconn (13 May 2009)

What must be doubly upsetting for parents at these times is the scores of uninformed people speculating about what role they played in the disappearance. I remember lots of totally inaccurate rubbish circulating around at the time that Philip Cairns disappeared and terrible stories being published about the McCanns when their little daughter went missing.


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## Smashbox (13 May 2009)

liaconn, I didn't hear any such things about the Cairns family (I was probably too young at the time) but yes, the McCanns have had a hard time of it.


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## dodo (13 May 2009)

Smashbox said:


> liaconn, I didn't hear any such things about the Cairns family (I was probably too young at the time) but yes, the McCanns have had a hard time of it.


I was about 15 at the time and live quite close to Ballyroan at the time, there was many stories the one that stick's out the most was that the family where part of a religious cult which was total nonsense.


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## Smashbox (13 May 2009)

Jeez. I wonder where some places get their stories. Do the neighbours or families report to the papers? How would they get that story out of the blue?


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## liaconn (14 May 2009)

As far as  I recall it was based on the fact that his mother went to Mass everyday or was part of a prayer group (like hundreds of other women of her age, but why let that get in the way of spreading some scandal).


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## Smashbox (20 May 2009)

I see they are digging again today, 50 yards from the other spot?

Hopefully this time they will find something.


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