Missing man's family speak of trauma

Police searched several sites in Monaghan for the remains

The family of a County Armagh man who disappeared from his home in August 1981 have said the past two weeks have been very traumatic.

The search for Charlie Armstrong in the Republic of Ireland was called off on Wednesday.

Gardai had been excavating at a site near the border in County Monaghan for three weeks.

The IRA has always been blamed for his death.

Charlie Armstrong was abducted in 1981

The family say they take comfort from knowing that the search for the 57-year-old father of five was thorough.

A statement from the family on Thursday said: "Based on the information received we are satisfied that everything that could be done on this dig was done.

"We are not looking fro recriminations or retribution. All we wish is for the opportunity to give Charlie a Christian burial." P>

Mr Armstrong went missing on his way to Mass.

He is one of 'The Disappeared' who is believed to have been murdered by the IRA and secretly buried during the Troubles.

Commitment

A number of locations had been searched near Carrickmacross, not far from the border with Northern Ireland.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains said it had been conscious from the outset that the search might be unsuccessful.

The issue of the Disappeared was highlighted in March 1999 after the IRA admitted killing nine people and gave a commitment to help find their graves.

The bodies of three victims were found at unmarked graves after being pinpointed by an IRA intermediary.

After massive excavations of sites on both sides of the Northern Ireland border, the remains of Eamon Molloy, who disappeared in 1975 were found.

John McClory, 17, and Brian McKinney, 23, who were thought to have been murdered in 1978, were later discovered.

Six other bodies have never been found.