Detectives trying to solve the disappearance of a man two years ago have called into question the motive of a letter writer who claimed he had been murdered.
Barry Corcoran, from Wicklow town, an unemployed father of a young girl, was last seen on July 6th 2015 after going to a friend's house in Ballyfermot, Dublin.
He had been due to meet the mother of his child the following day to give her money for their daughter’s school uniform.
The alarm was raised when he failed to arrive.
In the weeks after his disappearance a letter was sent to his brother William, who he lived with in Wicklow, which claimed that Mr Corcoran had been murdered and his body buried.
As a new appeal for information was issued by Crimestoppers and gardai, Detective Inspector Colm O’Malley said questions remain unanswered over the letter writer’s intentions.
“The information has been looked at and investigated and it has not given us any new lead,” the officer said.
“So we would question the motive of the person. Was it intended to give us information or mislead the investigation? Was it to assist or distract the investigation?”
Mr O’Malley said Mr Corcoran’s family are hopeful that he is still alive and have appealed for him to make contact.
No arrests have been made but a number of people have been interviewed in relation to Mr Corcoran’s disappearance, including in connection with the letter.
A dig and searches in a derelict property near the Grand Canal near Clondalkin found nothing.
Mr Corcoran, who had used drugs and been involved in minor drug-related incidents, has been described as docile.
It is understood no evidence has been uncovered to support reports that he had run up drug debts.
He was 39 when he disappeared and is described as 5ft 11in tall, of thin build, with short grey hair and blue eyes. He walked with a slight shuffle.
Mr Corcoran had an old scar on the bridge of his nose and was known to friends as Rubber Nose.
When last seen he was wearing a dark rain jacket, blue jeans and black Puma running shoes.
On July 6th 2015 Mr Corcoran went by bus from Wicklow town to Dublin to meet his friend in Fitzgibbon Street in Dublin but he failed to turn up and travelled out on the Luas to Kylemore Road near Ballyfermot.
He was last seen that day at 6.44pm in the Aldi on Ballyfermot Road and went to the friend's house, where they drank.
Mr Corcoran was known to be in the friend’s house until midnight or 1.30am.
The following morning, when the friend and his partner got up, Mr Corcoran was gone.
CCTV in the Ballyfermot area has been examined and the family said one man seen on footage is not their brother.
Gardai have appealed for information on the movement of vehicles in the Cremona Road area of Ballyfermot around the time Mr Corcoran was last seen.
Superintendent Brendan Connolly urged anyone with information to call Crimestoppers anonymously or any Garda station.
“We are confident that someone knows what happened to Barry. If you are a friend or acquaintance of Barry and have any information that could help locate him please call Crimestoppers on 1800 25 00 25,” he said.
PA