Sliabh Liag murder probe on the cards?

South-west Donegal is braced for a probable murder probe following an incident on Sliabh Liag at the weekend.

Gardai have remained tight-lipped on the matter all week after the alarm was first raised on Sunday night.

Access to the Slieve Liag cliffs was closed all week after a major search operation was launched for a missing man.

Two people arrested over what Gardai described as an ‘alleged assault’ were released without charge, pending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)

The identity of the missing man was not released by Gardai. However, it is known that he is a man in his 60s and from Northern Ireland. He is understood to have been socialising with the two people in south-west Donegal over the weekend.

Donegal Live understands that Gardai were attempting to contact the man’s family to obtain DNA samples to aid their investigation, but had some degree of difficulty in tracking them down earlier in the week.

It appeared on Wednesday as if the search operation had been scaled back with only gardai on the scene throughout Wednesday.

Were a body to have been either recovered or washed up in the area, Gardai would be keen to have all necessary examinations done before arranging its removal to avoid the possible interference with key evidence.

The Sliabh Liag cliffs. (North West Newspix)

A man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s - both of whom are from Donegal - were arrested by Gardai. They were detained at separate Garda stations - the man in Letterkenny and the woman in Ballyshannon - under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

The man was admitted to Letterkenny University Hospital for a time on Monday after complaining that he felt unwell while in custody. This led to an extension of his period of detention.

The two people were released without charge on Tuesday evening and a file will be now prepared and sent to the DPP for directions on the matter.

Gardai were initially informed of an alleged incident by a third party, who claimed to have been informed of the alleged incident.

The call sparked the launch of a huge multi-agency operation on Monday morning, involving An Garda Siohcana, the Irish Coast Guard, the Donegal Mountain Rescue Team and the 118 Rescue helicopter.

Access to the Sliabh Liag cliffs was closed on Monday and as of Thursday afternoon a Garda cordon was still in place.

At this time of year, Sliabh Liag, which boasts some of the highest accessible sea cliffs in Europe, would be thronged with tourists. This week, however, the area has been rife with rumour and speculation.

In a linked operation, a house on the outskirts of Killybegs was sealed off on Monday. Members of the Garda forensics team carried out a search of the property and uniformed Gardai remained at the scene through the week.

At Monday’s sitting of Letterkenny District Court, a warrant was granted by Judge Brendan O’Reilly for the seizure of a car belonging to one of the persons arrested.

Forensic evidence, which will include blood understood to have been located on the vehicle, taken from the car will be a key factor as Gardai determine their next moves in the investigation.

Gardaí are appealing to any person who may have information in relation to this incident to contact them.

A Garda spokesperson said: “Any road users who were travelling in the vicinity of Sliabh Liag between Saturday evening, 24th June 2023 and Sunday evening, 25th June 2023, and who may have camera footage (including dash cam) is asked to make this available to investigating Gardaí.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Ballyshannon Garda Station on 071 985 8530, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.”

The spokesperson added that investigations are ongoing.