‘Nightmare’ over after body found

‘Nightmare’ over after body found

20 February 2019

THE family of missing Newcastle man Connor Murphy have spoken of the “miracle” of finding his body in Amsterdam.

News that the body had been found came over the weekend as the Murphy family confirmed that their “nightmare” wait was over.

The Co Down-based charity, the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, last night confirmed that they were working with the family to bring Mr Murphy’s body home within days.

Mr Murphy, who was 39, had been missing for nearly five weeks in the Dutch capital where he had been living and working as a chef for the past three years.

His remains were recovered from one of the city’s many canals last Friday.

The tragic discovery ended an extensive campaign run by Mr Murphy’s family since mid-January to find him.

Hopes of finding him alive and well faded as his family and friends in Amsterdam — known as the Dam Fam — waited on word from him last week.

A Facebook post on the campaign page #letsfindmurf on Saturday read: “Day 34 proved to the end of this nightmare.

“We didn’t get the post card we hoped for. Connor Murphy was recovered from the canal yesterday. Although official DNA won’t take place until Monday.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported us the Murphy’s and The Dam Fam.

“For all the prayers, candles, masses, messages, phone calls, visits likes and shares. For your generosity. All money donated will go towards those charities that have helped us and gave us hope and encouragement when we felt there was none.

“We got our miracle. We got our son, brother, brother-in law, uncle, best man, cousin and friend back.”

Mr Murphy was last seen in the early hours of January 13, walking in the Oudeschans area of Amsterdam, heading towards the Leidseplein.

The last word his family received from him was a few days before his disappearance when he was speaking to his sister, Rebecca, who is Head of Home Economics in Shimna Intergrated College, about travelling home for her impending wedding. 

The Murphy family travelled out to Amsterdam several times over the last 36 days to hand out leaflets and put up posters in the area he disappeared from.

An information appeal and searches undertaken by the Amsterdam police produced no early results.

The family enlisted the help of local search and rescue charities in Amsterdam who began to search the canals.

Sean McGarry from Northern Ireland’s Community Rescue Service, offered to go out to Amsterdam to use specialist sonar equipment to search the canals.

The first sonar search carried out by the Community Rescue Service, along with Amsterdamse Reddingsbrigade, Politie Amsterdam, Koninklijke Marine volunteers, did not locate Mr Murphy.

Mr Murphy is survived by his mother, Nuala and siblings, Alison, Matthew and Rebecca.

South Down MLA Colin McGrath paid his respects to the family.

“This will be an ultimately devastating closure of this horrendous nightmare for the family,” he said.

“The period ahead will be difficult for them but I know the local community will rally round and offer their support. My thoughts and prayers are with them at this time.’

Mournes councillor Laura Devlin said: “Newcastle and the wider community are in mourning for Connor who was so well thought of here locally. 

“The family and all his connections have been through hell since his disappearance in Amsterdam some five weeks ago. They continue to be in my thoughts and prayers at this extremely difficult time.”

Prayers and respects to Mr Murphy’s family were also offered by councillors and staff during Monday night’s meeting of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s Active and Healthy Communities Committee.