Body found in search for missing Castlederg woman Lyndsey Rankin: Family have been told, say police
A body has been found in the search for missing Co Fermanagh woman Lyndsey Rankin.
The Castlederg woman has been missing since June 5. The body was found at Gay Island in Lough Erne on Monday, and though formal identification has not yet been carried out the police have confirmed her family have been informed.
The family are well known in the Castlederg area, said West Tyrone MLA Tom Buchanan who added that his thoughts continue to be with them.
“I think particularly of Lindsey’s father and mother, but of the wider family circle also,” said the DUP politician. “It has been a very painful time for them since Lindsey’s disappearance nearly a month ago.
“I want to pay tribute to all those who have carried out such an extensive search around Lower Lough Erne. The search area was significant, and they deserve our gratitude for their work and dedication.”
Fellow DUP MLA, Fermanagh and South Tyrone’s Deborah Erskine, stated that she also wanted to pass on her thoughts to the family, who she said endured a “cruel and uncertain wait” while the search was on.
“Today’s news will be difficult,” she said, “but will mean that the family may now at least be reunited with Lindsay. It is important that the family now has an opportunity to grieve this unimaginable loss.”
Gay Island is located in lower Lough Erne, close to its eastern shore. It is a little over 18 miles away from Ms Rankin’s home town of Castlederg.