THE sister of murdered teenager Columba McVeigh has said she will "never give up hope" that his body will be found, as her family marks the 48th anniversary of his abduction by the IRA.
Dympna Kerr spoke during a visit to Bragan Bog in Co Monaghan, where searches began last October for the remains of the 19-year-old from Donaghmore in Co Tyrone.
Mr McVeigh is one of the remaining "Disappeared" victims of the Troubles, whose bodies have yet to be found.
The teen was abducted from Dublin, where he had been living, on October 31, 1975, before being killed and secretly buried by the IRA.
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The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) is conducting the search at Bragan Bog, which has been halted several times due to weather conditions.
Ms Kerr said she knows the search is "nearing the end" but vowed to remain hopeful even if her brother's remains are not recovered at the site.
“Every anniversary that comes and goes is harder than the last," she said.
"I know people think that I must be angry after all these years of waiting and disappointment but anger won’t keep you going during dark days and God knows there have been too many of those.
"I feel sad, I feel sick and sometimes on the edge of despair but I can’t give in to that. I can’t let go of the hope that one day we’ll get the call that says ‘We’ve found him’."
Ms Kerr, who said she prays for that call "every single day", was joined at the site by Dr Sandra Peake, CEO of the WAVE Trauma Centre which has supported the families of the Disappeared since the 1990s.
She was also accompanied by WAVE's Reverend Dr David Clements and Derry priest Fr Joe Gormley, who read a specially written prayer for the Disappeared.
“I know that this search is nearing the end, and it will break my heart if Columba is not found," Ms Kerr said.
"But if that happens, I still won’t give up hoping and praying that someone somewhere who has that piece of information that will end this torture for us will get it to the ICLVR."
"The ICLVR are the best in every way. If Columba is where they have been told to search, they will find him.
"If they don’t it’s because he’s not there. We’ll need more accurate information if we leave Bragan again without Columba."
She added that her family want to have the long-awaited wake for her brother and to lay him to rest alongside his parents in the cemetery in Donaghmore.
"That’s it, nothing more. Who can deny us that?"