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'Let us have closure', says mother of missing man

RTÉ A male with a bald head wearing a white shirt and black puffer jacket, is pictured beside a woman with black hair. Behind them is a wood panelled wall. RTÉ
William Maughan and Anastasija Varslavane have been missing since 2015

The parents of William Maughan have made a fresh appeal for information on what happened to their son and his girlfriend, Anastasija Varslavane.

The couple was last seen on 14 April 2015.

On Friday, Gardaí (Irish police) investigating the couple's disappearance and murder started a fresh search of open lands in north County Dublin.

"Hopefully today is the day we get William and Anna back," Helen Maughan told Irish broadcaster RTÉ. "Let us have closure."

The search at Rings Commons commenced this week after a cadaver dog identified a particular part of bog land.

PA Media The image shows a countryside landscape of green fields and bushes in the foreground. Off to the right of the image is a yellow digger-type piece of machinery, to the left is a grey coloured flood light that is turned off. The sky is a slate grey colour. PA Media
Gardaí have said that the area of land will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations over the coming days.

Ms Maughan said she hoped that the search would give the family answers and closure.

"It's nine years now, and things change. I would like [anyone with information] to just look at myself and Joe and my family and pass on any small piece of information," she said.

"It might not mean a lot to them, but it will mean a lot to us and the police. Let us have closure.

"I just pray to God that I will get my child today and can give him a Christian burial."

The couple praised the Gardaí for their work on the long-running investigation.

"The last nine years, the gardaí never gave up," said Joe Maughan.

"They're there when we need them, and they're there when we don't need them, doing their own thing in the background as well."

Murder investigation

On the day they disappeared, Mr Maughan and Ms Varslavane were in the process of moving from their caravan in County Meath to his family home in Tallaght, County Dublin.

They had taken a taxi together from Balbriggan to Gormanston, where they were due to be picked up by William's mother.

But they weren't there when Ms Maughan arrived to collect them.

Mr Maughan's mother became worried and reported them both as missing.

An extensive missing persons investigation was launched, and in September 2016, Gardaí announced they were treating the case as murder.

The case was upgraded to a murder investigation following a review of the case in September 2016.

Gardaí have again appealed for anyone with information on the couple's disappearance and murder to contact them.