A CO Armagh man believed to have been abducted and killed by the IRA in the 1970s has become the first person added to the list of the Disappeared in more than 10 years.
The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) is adding Seamus Maguire to its list of people murdered and secretly buried by republicans during the Troubles.
Seamus, who is understood to have been around 26-years-old when he went missing, was from the Lurgan area and is thought to have been taken by paramilitaries in 1974-75.
ICLVR commissioners Rosalie Flanagan and Tim Dalton said Mr Maguire's case met the criteria to become the 17th person on the list of Disappeared on the basis of information received by the organisation from the PSNI.
The bodies of 13 of the Disappeared have been recovered to date, the most recent being that of Seamus Ruddy, a 33-year-old teacher who went missing in France in 1985. His remains were found buried near the French city of Rouen in 2017.
With the addition of Seamus Maguire, there are now four whose remains have yet to be recovered, including Columba McVeigh, who was 19 when he went missing in 1975, and 29-year-old British Army officer Robert Nairac, who was abducted by the IRA in south Armagh in 1977.
A reward of over £40,000 is offered for anyone who can provide information that leads to the recovery of any of the remaining missing victims.
ICLVR lead investigator Geoff Knupfer said: "Seamus Maguire was around 26 years old when he left his home near Lurgan, Co Armagh, never to return. It is believed that republican paramilitaries were involved though it is not yet clear which wing of the IRA was involved.
"As with all our cases our sole aim is to locate and recover the remains to return them to Seamus’ family. It is a purely humanitarian cause.
"The ICLVR is information driven and I would appeal to anyone who knows anything about the disappearance of Seamus to come forward to the commission safe in the knowledge that any information will be treated in the strictest confidence. With the right information we will find Seamus and return his remains to his family."
A spokesperson for the Maguire family described Seamus as a "much loved eldest son".
"His mother looked for him for many years. The family’s wish is that he is brought home and given a Christian burial," the spokesperson said.
"The family urge anyone who can help the commission to do so by providing whatever information they know about where Seamus is buried. The family have asked for privacy at this time."
