Missing boy's family fear worst

Search intensified after teenager's shoes were found

The mother of a Northern Ireland teenager who went missing after leaving a Donegal disco has said she does not expect him to be found alive.

In a BBC interview Colette Rushe said she feared the worst after a third day of searches for her 15-year-old son Brendan.

Emergency workers joined about 200 members of Brendan's family and the public during Wednesday's search for the teenager from Castlederg in County Tyrone.

The Rushes are now calling on the Irish army to join the search operation.

Brendan vanished after leaving friends at a disco across the border in Donegal town in the Irish Republic in the early hours of Monday saying he was going to catch a later bus home.

Brendan Rushe has been missing since Monday

A Garda sub-aqua unit searched Lough Mourne in Donegal on Wednesday and a feeder river near to where a pair of shoes, his mother said were Brendan's, were discovered on Tuesday night.

And a coastguard helicopter scoured the Donegal coastline, although it was forced to return to base on Wednesday morning because of high winds.

Mrs Rushe, who spent Wednesday alongside her husband John in the search, said the family had no idea where Brendan went after leaving his friends.

"They left him in the disco and he said he was getting a later bus home," she said.

"There were three buses coming from Donegal town and he said he was getting a later one.

Colette Rushe: "Family are very distraught"

"It is totally out of character for Brendan to stay away from home.

"We are always aware of where he was going, who he was going with and what time he was coming home."

She added: "I do not expect to find him alive now. I would just like to find him at this stage."

His father added: "We would like to appeal to any farmers or anybody in the country areas to check everywhere, such as barns or outhouses."

Wednesday's search was concentrated around the Lough Mourne and Druminin area, five miles out of the town centre. Searches of Donegal town centre also continued.

Rescuers from the Killybegs coastguard team scoured the riverbanks while members of the Garda sub-aqua team searched the waters.

Superintendent John McFadden said: "The last sighting of him was by a member of the gardai who was speaking to him on Monday morning.

"Gardai actually spoke to him on two occasions that morning. They found him very friendly and nice and had no complaints about him."

He added: "He said he was going to get a bus home."

Brendan is 5ft 8in tall, of slim build and has dark brown short hair and brown eyes. He has braces on his teeth.

He was wearing a cream shirt, grey trousers and black shoes and had a black jumper with him when he went missing.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police at Castlederg on 028 81671202.