'Help us solve mystery of our son's death'

A major garda appeal for information into the death of a Rath Chairn teenager in a hit-and-run incident 16 years ago has been launched this week. The appeal for information goes out as the devastated family of Paraic Ó Cofaigh still struggle to come to terms with the loss of their cheerful, fun-loving son and brother. The Garda Crimestoppers campaign is offering a reward for substantial information that would lead to charges being brought and the campaign will see posters and leaflet drops carried out in the local area. Paraic's mother Judy said they will never get over the loss of their son - they just get better at dealing with it. Fighting back tears this week, she recalled how popular, hard-working and cheerful the teenager was. Paraic was killed in the early hours of 9th June 1996, when he was just 18 years-old and had one year left to finish at a local secondary school. He was walking home from a disco towards his home in Rath Chairn in the townland of Eighty-Eight Acres when he was struck by a vehicle which failed to stop. His body was subsequently discovered on the road by passers-by. The driver of the vehicle has never been apprehended and, to this day, his family have not had any closure as the person responsible has never been caught. His parents, Patrick and Judy, have joined the garda appeal for information to establish what happened that night. "We were in bed at around 3.30am when a neighbour came to the door and told us there had been an accident. We went to the scene and the ambulance was there, but he had been killed instantly. I was asked to identify him by his clothes," Patrick recalled. "It was dreadful. I just felt numb. We had to go to Navan to see him and all I could think was that if we got him home, I would be alright," his mother said. The raw grief is still there, 16 years on. "Birthdays are the hardest. If we had closure, if we knew what happened, it would help," Judy said. "We are not looking for revenge. It is just that we feel somebody in the area knows what happened." Inspector Alf Martyn said an incident room has been opened at Kells Garda Station to re-examine the case. "There may be people out there who had information at the time and, for one reason or another, didn't come forward at the time, but who may now be prepared to shed some light on what happened," he said. Inspector Martyn said they are seeking information from anyone who may have been on the road that night, who may have been at functions in Rath Chairn or Athboy and who came across anything unusual or saw a car driving too fast. "We are carrying out a complete review and have enlisted the help of the Serious Crime Review Team. We are also looking at any potential new advances in getting information from items recovered at the scene," he said. An incident room has been set up at Kells Garda Station and it can be contacted on (046) 928 0820 or members of the public can also call Crimestoppers (Freephone 1800 250 025) at any time. Callers will not be asked for their names.