Philip Cairns suspect Eamonn Cooke hid in plain sight for 30 years

Gardai hopeful new witnesses may now come forward to help solve the 30-year mystery

A schoolbag in a laneway was the only trace found of Philip Cairns when he disappearance in 1986 Picture: Collins

In 2011, on the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of schoolboy Philip Cairns, detectives made a high-profile appeal for information about the case. In particular, they appealed to potential witnesses who would have been children back in 1986 to make contact with the investigation team.

The theory had always been that, while an adult was responsible for the abduction of 13-year-old Philip, other children might have been the victim of assault by the ...