More than 100 people gathered at a vigil in Co Tyrone to mark the disappearance of Arlene Arkinson, who was last seen 30 years ago.
Arlene was aged 15 when she went missing after a night out at a disco in Bundoran, Co Donegal, on 13 August 1994.
The teenager from Castlederg was last seen in a car driven by convicted murderer and rapist Robert Howard.
Arlene's body has never been found, despite extensive searches.
A special vigil in memory of Arlene was held at Castlefinn Park, Castlederg, on Tuesday evening where a memorial plaque was unveiled and balloons were released.
Arlene's sisters Kathleen and Paula Arkinson reiterated their calls for a public inquiry into the handling of their sister’s case.
Paula said she "wanted to thank everyone" that came to the vigil at Castlefinn Park in Castlederg, for their continued support.
She added that she still "needs answers".
A memorial plaque was unveiled, followed by a tribute and a blessing.
Fr Paul Fraser, who led this evening’s vigil, said that Arlene’s memory "lives on in all of those who knew and loved her" and that "we must keep up the search for truth and justice".
He added: "We know that Arlene wasn’t just a victim, she was a beloved daughter, a sister, a friend. We know that she was kind hearted and full of life and had so much potential.
"Arlene’s story is a reminder that we should all look out for each other, that we must protect the vulnerable."
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A 14-year inquest into the death of the teenager that came to a close in July 2021 found that on the balance of probabilities Robert Howard was responsible for the death of Arlene.
Coroner Brian Sherrard noted: "Robert Howard, a violent sexual offender, and the last person to be seen with Arlene in the early hours of August 14 1994, was responsible for her death."
The coroner also ruled that the death occurred in Northern Ireland, but the precise location remains unknown.
The coroner in his judgment said that "quasi admissions" by Howard, such as his inquiries to a number of police officers about serving his sentence in Northern Ireland if he admitted to certain things; needing help but being afraid to take the next step; living in fear, crossing the road when he saw a police officer; being haunted and seeing a face in a crowd and being reminded of the girl fell short of a confession, but indicated culpability.
Howard was charged with Arlene's murder in 2002, but acquitted in 2005.
Kathleen Arkinson has alleged that Howard had been working as a state agent and has appealed to Northern Ireland's Minister for Justice Naomi Long to re-examine Arlene's case carefully.
Howard - originally from Co Laois - died in prison in England in 2015 while serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Hannah Williams from London.
Des Doherty, solicitor for Arlene's family, said that "any public inquiry in relation to Arlene's disappearance and death should not only deal with the activities of Howard and his association with the RUC [Royal Ulster Constabulary] but should also look at the wider implication of the treatment of the Arkinson family by the police and the legal system in the north of Ireland".
"They were treated terribly by any standards in 1994 by the police and our legal system let them down completely," he added.
Mr Doherty said the inquest, which concluded in 2021, "dealt with the how, when and where Arlene was murdered but the bigger question now is why this was allowed to happen?"
In a statement, Ms Long said having met with the Arkinson family she fully appreciated that the past 30 years have been deeply traumatic as they have continued to grieve and search for answers on behalf of Arlene.
Ms Long said her decision "not to establish a public inquiry was taken after very careful consideration of everything that had been put before me both verbally and in writing by the Arkinson family and by their legal representative".
"I also took account of the coroner’s detailed inquest findings, the Police Ombudsman report into the handling of the police investigation into Arlene’s disappearance, and the significant changes to police missing person policies," she added.
Ms Long concluded that "in weighing up all the relevant factors it was my conclusion that there were not sufficient grounds for a public inquiry into this tragic case".
A solicitor for the Arkinson family said they had been let down and there were a series of failures in the police handling of Arlene's case.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Des Doherty said Howard should never have been released on bail and it seemed strange that someone who had been charged with serious offences was bailed.
He said that when the Stormont executive was not functioning due to its collapse in 2022, neither he or the family had contact with the justice minister, but that they have intentions now to re-engage.
"We had nowhere to go, we had no one to challenge and we couldn't even engage (with the justice minister) .. It put the family in another legal void, where they had nowhere to go".
