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Investigation into disappearance of woman in 2013 upgraded to murder

Elizabeth Clarke was last seen in November 2013
Elizabeth Clarke was last seen in November 2013

A search operation at a property in Co Meath being carried out by gardaí investigating the murder of Elizabeth Clarke has been stood down for the night and will resume again tomorrow morning.

The search was launched this morning as gardaí upgraded the missing person's case to a murder investigation.

The mother-of-two had previously lived in both Portrane in north Dublin and Bettystown, Co Meath with her family.

However, she had been living in Navan at the time of her disappearance in November 2013 when she was 24 years old.

She was officially reported missing by her family just over a year later in January 2015 and a full investigation into her disappearance was launched.

Gardaí previously carried out an extensive missing person's investigation, including house-to-house enquiries and land searches, as well as canal and river searches, which involved the assistance of the Garda Water Unit and Meath River Rescue.

However, there have been no sightings of Elizabeth in over 10 years.

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As a result of these extensive enquires, gardaí said they have re-classified this investigation from a missing person's case to a murder investigation.

The search at the Co Meath house is understood to be an intrusive search that is expected to take a number of days to complete and will involve excavation work.

The search is being led by gardaí from the Meath Serious Crime Hub based at Navan Garda Station, who are being supported by the Meath Divisional Search Unit and the Garda National Technical Bureau.

Gardaí have said the search operation also has the support of other State expertise, including a forensic archaeologist, if required.

Gardaí also continue to appeal to anyone with information in relation to the disappearance and murder of Elizabeth Clarke to come forward.

They hope the passage of time may allow someone, who previously held back in coming forward, to now pass this information onto gardaí.

In a statement, a garda spokesperson said: "Given the timeframe of this investigation, Gardaí are asking the public that if they have any information in relation to the disappearance and murder of Elizabeth and for some reason held back on information they may have had, to come forward now. An Garda Síochána wish to reassure them that they will be treated sensitively.

"The investigation team can be contacted at Navan Garda Station at 046 9036100, through your local Garda Station or the Garda Confidential telephone line 1800 666 111."