Dead teen's family will probe links to Shropshire

The chief suspect in the mysterious death of 19-year-old Tyrone teenager Denise O'Donnell was reportedly given an police escort out of the country to relatives in Donnington in Telford, it has been claimed.

The body of Strabane girl Denise was discovered on November 21, 1976, submerged in eight inches of water in the Mourne River, a short distance from her family home on the town's Ballycolman estate.

Now, an anonymous letter about the movements of the suspect, along with a dossier compiled by the dead girl's half brother could shed new light on the cold case murder review.

Two days before she was found dead, Denise and two friends had visited a pub across the border in County Donegal.

The girls returned to Strabane in the early hours of Saturday.

They were walking along Main Street when they met a local man who told Denise's friends he would see her home – but she was never seen alive again.

A search of the area the next day revealed nothing, but the family traced the man who had spoken to her that evening.

He claimed he had left Denise at a junction away from her home, where she had hailed to a figure wearing a long, dark coat.

The following day, her body was found and, within hours, the man who was the last known person to see Denise was arrested and questioned, but was later released without charge.

Denise was the half-sister of civil rights activist and republican politician Ivan Barr, who died five years ago at the age of 70.

After her death, Ivan pledged to uncover the truth about his sister's final movements. His brother Raymond Barr, speaking last week, said: "Ivan never got over Denise's death, he was never the same man again.

"He felt badly let down by the authorities and vowed to collate as much information as possible, in the hope that some day, Denise's killer would be brought to justice."

Ivan produced a dossier on his sister's case which Raymond hopes will highlight unresolved issues surrounding his sister's death.

And he hopes it may possibly inspire people to come forward with information which could result in the case being reopened.

The document complied by Ivan reveals that less than three weeks after his sister died, the local man who had been arrested in connection with her disappearance and death was picked up by police and then driven to a ferry terminal from where he caught a boat, accompanied by his wife, in order to begin a new life in England.

On arrival, the suspect and his wife were met by English police officers who drove them to the home of a relative who lived in the Donnington area of Telford.

Mr Barr said: "We owe it to Ivan to see this through and we owe it to Denise too. Any help – no matter how small –would be appreciated."