Gardaí examining the car of missing Cork fisherman Barry Coughlan have confirmed that they have found skeletal remains in the vehicle.
Mr Coughlan, who was from Crosshaven in Co Cork, was 23 when he went missing from the village in the early hours of 1 May 2004.
Since then, no trace of him or his Toyota Corolla car had been found.
On Wednesday, volunteers from Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery discovered a car in the water close to Hugh Coveney Pier in Crosshaven.
The car was later confirmed as Mr Coghlan's. It was taken from the water using a crane late last night.
A technical examination of the vehicle took place throughout the day.
This afternoon, gardaí confirmed that skeletal remains were found in the car during their technical examination.
The remains will now be examined at Cork University Hospital. Further DNA analysis will be undertaken by Forensic Science Ireland.
Gardaí are hoping these tests will assist them in confirming the identity of the person. It is understood that the process may take several weeks.
The technical examination of the car is likely to continue for a number of days.
Mr Coughlan's family have been informed of the latest developments.
