The body of a missing Leitrim woman was recovered from her car in a Co Leitrim lake last night, gardaí confirmed.
The grim discovery of the body of mother-of-two Marie Heeran (48) was made just hours after gardaí in Carrick-on-Shannon renewed their appeal for the public’s assistance in trying to trace the missing woman and on the day her husband, Séamus Heeran, went on national radio appealing to her to return home.
She had been missing since Monday, August 15th. When her husband awoke that morning, she had left the house and her car, a maroon Nissan Primera saloon, was gone.
She appeared to have left without possessions, including medication for her diabetes, and this increased concerns for her safety.
From Corrabrick, Keshcarrigan, Mrs Heeran was last seen on the day she disappeared between Dromad and Rooskey, sometime between 1pm and 2pm.
Hundreds of people, backed up by helicopter search and rescue teams, joined gardaí in the search for her across Leitrim, Roscommon and Cavan in recent days.
Yesterday afternoon a car was spotted submerged in a lake about six kilometres from her home.
It was seen in Lough Rowan near the village of Fenagh by a Garda air support unit.
Last night as the car was being retrieved from the lake, a body was seen inside.
A Garda spokesman later confirmed the woman’s body was taken from the car. It was removed to Sligo General Hospital.
Mrs Heeran’s husband and their children, Michelle (19) and Christopher (17), who had hoped she would be found safe and well, were being comforted by relatives last night.
Earlier Mr Heeran, in an emotional appeal to his missing wife on RTÉ Radio 1 said: "Would you please come home, we would love to see you, please come home."
He also said her disappearance was out of character. "It was so untypical, Marie would not do that, she might stay in bed for a few days but to go out like that.
She was a very careful person, she would have the hair combed and everything like that," he said.
Meanwhile, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said it is growing increasingly concerned about a missing Polish man who has not been seen since July 4th.
The PSNI believe Robert Wesolowski (22), who lived in the Malone Road area of south Belfast, may have travelled to Dublin.
A PSNI spokesman appealed for anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers or a police station. The young man has not been seen at his home address or at his place of work since July. The 22-year-old is described as being 5ft 10in in height, of medium build, with short fair hair and pale skin.