New lead investigator of ICLVR appointed

A former garda (Irish police) officer has said it is an “honour” to be the new lead investigator for the organisation set up to find the Disappeared.

The Independent Commission for the location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) said Eamonn Henry will replace Jon Hill.

The Disappeared are those who were abducted, murdered and secretly buried by republicans during the Troubles.

Mr Henry said the “biggest stumbling block” facing the organisation is a “lack of information from people who were involved in the cases.”

Mr Hill, who had been with the ICLVR since 2006, leading investigations since 2023, announced last year that he intended to stand down in the spring of 2025.

The ICLVR was set up in 1999 following the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement to locate and recover the remains of those abducted, murdered and secretly buried during the Troubles, known as the Disappeared.

To date the remains of 13 Disappeared have been recovered from a total of 17.

The Independent Commission carried out an exhumation at a cemetery in County Monaghan in November 2024 in an effort to locate the remains of Joe Lynskey, however the DNA results did not match.

Mr Henry was the Garda Liaison to the ICLVR from June 2013 to February 2017 and joined the ICLVR investigations team in 2023.

He described it as a “privilege” to take up the role of lead investigator.

Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster Programme on Monday, Mr Henry said that this is the first time someone from An Garda Síochána has taken up the role.

He said he will do a “comprehensive review of the four cases” because “no matter how methodical somebody may be, something that was missed might spoil an opportunity to progress the case”.

“It’s time these people were brought back to their families for a Christian burial,” he said.

Commenting on his decision to retire, Jon Hill said it is “with a feeling of mixed emotion”.

“The Families and The Commission has been a part of my life for so long now that it is hard to imagine life without it.

“I am incredibly proud and honoured to have been a part of the success that the Commission has been but now find that commitment working away from home is detracting too much from my own life with my family,” he said.

He added that in the future he has agreed to “provide such help or advice they might feel is useful on an advisory basis”.

Mr Henry served with An Garda Síochána (Irish police) for over 30 years, 11 of which were as a Detective Inspector.