The mother of a man abducted and murdered by the IRA almost 20 years ago said yesterday she was "shattered" after a four-day search by the RUC for his body and that of another man, was cal led off.
Mrs Margaret McKinney, whose son, Brian (22), disappeared in May 1978 while on his way to work, said she had made funeral arrangements in the hope that his body would be found this week.
The RUC told her the search for her son and his friend, John McClory (17), who were abducted together, would resume in the new year.
At a press conference after the RUC confirmed it had called off the search, Mr Tom Hall, the brother-in-law of John McClory, said the last four days had been very hard on the families. Both Mr Hall and Mrs McKinney said they were convinced the two bodies would be recovered.
The families have renewed their call for information. They had no wish to see anyone imprisoned for the murders, but merely wished to put their loved ones to rest. Mr Hall urged people to offer "good information".
Police began the operation to recover the bodies at Glencolin Way in west Belfast on Saturday, but called off the search yesterday when the area yielded nothing. It is understood that a serving or former IRA member had supplied information to a Belfast bereavement-counselling group, Wave.