THE body of an Irish father-of-three who went missing in 2009 has been found in France.
Dubliner Paul Shine-Dixon disappeared while travelling around Europe nine years ago.
The Finglas native was making his way from London to Barcelona via Amsterdam when he vanished in May of that year.
Paul, 28, had been travelling by train to meet his girlfriend in the Spanish city at the time.
However, the Irishman got off at Perpignan in the south of France and made a call to his girlfriend saying he had witnessed a shooting on the train.
French police found him at the station in a distressed state and took him to a local medical centre.
Paul discharged himself the next day on May 3, 2009. His family never heard from him again.
'Suspicious'
It has now emerged that a body found buried beside a canal in Perpignan was identified as Paul's earlier this month.
Local police have informed both his family and Gardaí that they are currently treating his death as suspicious, according to reports.
However, detectives said a post-mortem examination of the remains would determine the course of their investigation.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is aware of the case and is offering consular assistance.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror in 2013, Paul's grief-stricken mum Clare admitted she believed her son was no longer alive.
"I’ve long accepted my son is dead but I want answers," she said.
"My family deserves closure, he has a daughter he never got to meet so his three children deserve to know what happened to their daddy".
The grandmother added: "I can’t describe what it’s like not knowing, waking up everyday wondering if I’ll hear something or find out what happened. But what I do know is I can’t keep living like this and I owe it to my son to find him."
