Northern Ireland

Two arrested over murder of Lisa Dorrian

Lisa Dorrian disappeared after a party at a caravan site in Ballyhalbert, Co Down, in February 2005
Lisa Dorrian disappeared after a party at a caravan site in Ballyhalbert, Co Down, in February 2005 Lisa Dorrian disappeared after a party at a caravan site in Ballyhalbert, Co Down, in February 2005

A 49-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Lisa Dorrian.

The Co Down woman has been missing since 2005.

The man and woman were arrested in the Newtownards and Ballyhalbert areas earlier today.

They were taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning.

Ms Dorrian was last seen, aged 25, at a party at a caravan site in Ballyhalbert on the Ards peninsula in February 2005. Police believe she was murdered.

New searches have started at the site where she was last seen alive and a disused airfield in Ballyhalbert as part of a “large scale search operation”.

The missing woman’s mother Pat (59) died in 2015 without knowing what had happened to her daughter.

Various searches carried out over the years have failed to find her remains.

Joanne Dorrian, sister of missing Co Down woman Lisa Dorrian, and her father John Dorrian at a disused airfield in Ballyhalbert, Co Down where fresh searches for Lisa were taking place this week. Picture by Rebecca Black, Press Association
Joanne Dorrian, sister of missing Co Down woman Lisa Dorrian, and her father John Dorrian at a disused airfield in Ballyhalbert, Co Down where fresh searches for Lisa were taking place this week. Picture by Rebecca Black, Press Association Joanne Dorrian, sister of missing Co Down woman Lisa Dorrian, and her father John Dorrian at a disused airfield in Ballyhalbert, Co Down where fresh searches for Lisa were taking place this week. Picture by Rebecca Black, Press Association