REMAINS have been found in the search for 'Disappeared' Northern Irishman Seamus Ruddy in northern France.
The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) said a fresh search for Mr Ruddy’s remains begun in Pont-de-l’Arche forest outside Rouen in northern France on May 2.
The English teacher Seamus Ruddy, 33 and originally from Newry, disappeared in May 1985 while teaching in Paris, France.
In December 1995 republican paramilitary group the INLA admitted responsibility for his death.
In February 1999 information emerged to suggest that his body was buried in Rouen, France, but despite three previous searches, his remains were not recovered.
Speaking before the most recent search began, Geoff Knupfer who heads the team that found fellow Disappeared victims Brendan Megraw in 2014, as well as Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright in 2015 said that he was satisfied that the information the ICLVR was working on was “as accurate as it can be given the passage of time".
He added that the team were searching a "defined" area.
“This site differs from Oristown in Meath where we found Brendan Megraw, and Coghalstown also in Meath where Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright were buried, in that it is in a forest rather than a bog.
“It is also a more defined search area,” he said. “In Oristown we were searching an area about the size of eight football pitches. Here we are looking at around half a pitch.”
On Saturday, May 6, four days after the search began, the ICLVR said human remains had been found at the search site.
But the recovery of those remains will take some time.
The process of post-mortem and of formal identification through DNA will begin in conjunction with the French authorities.
Anne Morgan, a sister of Seamus Ruddy, spoke from the search site at the forest in Pont-de-l'Arche, saying: "We just want to take Seamus home and give him a Christian burial with his parents Molly and John.
"We would like to thank the ICLVR and the forensic team, and we are very grateful to the French authorities for their role in facilitating the search.
"We would especially like to thank those who gave the vital information which has helped to find him.
"We have waited a long time and prayed for the day that he could be given a Christian burial in Newry," she said.
Ms Morgan also said while the family have received the news they have "longed" for, there are families of the remaining Disappeared still waiting.
"But while we have received the news that we have longed for for so many years we are conscious that there are others still waiting and our thoughts are also with the families of Columba McVeigh, Joe Lynskey and Robert Nairac," she said.
‘The Disappeared’ refers to a 16 individuals who disappeared during The Troubles.
The Provisional IRA admitted responsibility for 13 of the 16, while one was admitted by the INLA.
No attribution has been given to the remaining two.
To date the remains of 10 victims have been recovered.
Anyone with information on the Disappeared can contact the ICLVR in complete confidence on 00800 555 85500, by writing to ICLVR, PO Box 10827, Dublin 2. or via the website www.iclvr.ie.
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