Family adds name of missing Lisa Dorrian to headstone after 19-year quest for information

The heartbroken father of missing Co Down woman Lisa Dorrian said it was a but “difficult decision” to finally add his much-loved daughter’s name to a family headstone.

Lisa, 25, went missing from a caravan park in Ballyhalbert 19 years ago today (February 28, 2005) and police launched a murder investigation nine days later.

Her body has never been found despite extensive police search operations and thousands of lines of enquiries being completed – and no one has ever been brought to justice.

Lisa’s mum Patricia died in 2015 without knowing what happened to her daughter.

John Dorrian said the family took the poignant decision to mark the 19th anniversary of Lisa’s disappearance by adding her name to Patricia’s headstone.

“We wanted to mark Lisa’s life in a meaningful way and we talked about adding her name to her mum’s headstone for some time but it was a difficult decision to make,” Mr Dorrian said.

“In some ways it feels very final and we have not been able to find Lisa yet but as a family we decided that it was the right time to add her name.

"We always make any decisions about Lisa and her campaign as a family and this poignant tribute felt the right way to give Lisa a Christian burial of sorts,” Mr Dorrian added.

A £20,000 reward for information is being offered by the independent Crimestoppers charity, and the family has raised many thousands more for an additional reward, but no one has come forward to end the Dorrians’ agony.

Lisa’s sister Joanne said: “Seeing Lisa’s name on a headstone along with our mum’s feels bittersweet. It’s a difficult thing to see knowing we don’t actually have Lisa’s body back but it does give us a sense of peace knowing that we are doing everything we can to find Lisa and memorialise her life.

"The people who know where Lisa is should never have peace. They robbed Lisa of her life and also robbed us of a life with her. Lisa was 25 when she went missing and should now be 43.”

Joanne added: "Looking at mum’s headstone with Lisa’s name added helps us feel a sense of peace and reminds us that both mum and Lisa are together in heaven. We know mum would be proud of our decision to add Lisa’s name.”

Ahead of the 18th anniversary of Lisa's disappearance, PSNI detective superintendent Eamonn Corrigan highlighted that whoever claims the reward can remain anonymous, and added: "It’s especially noteworthy, and indeed unusual, that this reward is being offered for either information given directly to Crimestoppers that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Lisa’s murder, or for information that results in the recovery of her body.”

He added: "Contact Crimestoppers on freephone 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. “There is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and computer IP addresses are never traced or provided to detectives. It is not too late to… help bring some form of closure to years of torment”.