Mum renews appeal for her son 25 years after he goes missing

Mum renews appeal for her son 25 years after he goes missing

6 September 2023

A DOWNPATRICK mother whose son went missing 25 years ago has issued a new appeal for information.

Seventeen year-old Sean Ryan went missing on the morning of September 1, 1998, when he left his home.

His mum Patricia Douglas — who is now in her 70s — last saw Sean the night before he disappeared, when he told her he didn’t have to return to school until Wednesday.

The following morning she left for work while Sean, who has four siblings, was still in bed.

Family members say he didn’t tell any of them why he left and between the day he disappeared and September 5, there were several sightings of the A-level student.

Sean crossed the border on a bus from Belfast to Galway and this was the first confirmed sighting of the teenager.

Mrs Douglas said two of her nephews, who are from Co Donegal, ran into her son on the west coast and he told them he was going to get a bus and was heading away for a few days.

On September 5, a fisherman gave Sean a lift on the Ennis to Lahinch Road in Co Clare, ping him off near a hostel.

The Downpatrick teenager was last seen by a Garda, who stopped and talked to him as he walked in the direction of the Cliffs of Moher.

He asked Sean his name, age, where he was from and told the officer he was 18, despite the fact that he had just turned 17 that June.

Sean is 5ft 7ins, with hazel eyes, and has a mole on his left cheek. He was of medium build at the time and had short brown hair.

When last seen, he was wearing blue or brown jeans and a distinctive brown corduroy fur-lined jacket with fur collar. He also had a silver ring on a finger and was carrying £300.

Speaking previously, his mum said Sean had been working during the summer in the kitchens of a hotel in Downpatrick.

“He was getting ready to go back to school for the second year of his A-levels,” she said. “He seemed to be looking forward to going back and seeing his friends and I had turned up his new trousers the night before.

“I had everything ready for him going back to school, but he didn’t go. I went to work and came home and in the evening time there was no sign of him.”

Mrs Douglas said as the night went on, she started to get really worried about Sean, making phone calls and looking for him.

She revealed it later emerged that he had taken £300 out of his Post Office savings account that morning. 

“He had very little with him, just a shoulder bag, a jacket and a pair of jeans and a jumper,” she said.

Despite being missing for 25 years, Mrs Douglas remains hopeful Sean will be found safe and well.

She has led a determined effort with the PSNI and the Irish Missing People’s charity to establish his whereabouts.

In 1998, the Garda undertook an extensive search along the coastline and at sea but to no avail.

His mum then dedicated her time to contacting hotels in Co Clare for possible leads from hospitality staff, as having worked in the sector, Sean was interested in catering.

She added: “Sean was a wonderful person — very kind and helpful. He rarely complained about anything and is sorely missed. I miss him terribly and it’s hard to remember his voice and his smile.”

Ndella Senghore from Missing People said if anyone has any information about Sean’s disappearance, they can contact the Missing People’s helpline.”

The organisation has supported Mrs Douglas over the past 25 years with emotional and publicity to keep Sean’s search alive.

A quarter of a century on, it remains as determined as ever to assist his loved ones in getting the answers that they deserve. 

Mrs Douglas has also filmed a video appeal exclusively for Missing People, addressing the anniversary and appealing for answers from the public.

The charity says it would mean the world to Sean’s family to bring any more attention to his missing case and, that until he is found, Missing People will never stop supporting Sean’s family in the pursuit of an outcome. 

Anyone who can help the family find Sean is asked to get in touch on 116 000 or email 116000@missingpeople.org.uk. If you are calling from Ireland, call us on +0044 208 392 4545.

In addition, they can visit the Missing People website, where they can report a sighting, download his missing appeal as a poster and share it as widely as possible on social media.

They can also contact Downpatrick PSNI station on 028 4461 5011.