Kathleen Arkinson tries to stop herself from thinking how her 15-year-old sister Arlene would look if she were alive today.
“Sometimes, you wonder what she would look like now, but then I think I don’t want to drive myself insane,” says Kathleen about her youngest sibling, who left for a night out in August 1994, but never came home.
A coroner ruled in 2021 that the teenager from Castlederg, in Co. Tyrone, had been murdered that night by evil killer Robert Howard. Her body has never been found.
Howard, who was originally from Co. Laois and had a sex offending history dating back to 1965, died in prison in 2015, aged 71.
He was jailed for life in 2003 for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Hannah Williams in London.
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Hannah went missing in April 2001 and her body was found in a disused cement works near her home a year later.
At the time of Arlene’s disappearance, Howard was living in Castlederg and was in a relationship with a local woman, Pat Quinn.
On August 13, 1994, Arlene had been babysitting for her sister Kathleen before getting into a car with her friend, Pat Quinn’s daughter Donna and Donna’s boyfriend, to head to the Palace Hotel in Bundoran, Co Donegal.
Arlene went to Bundoran with her friend Donna Quinn
Howard, who was on bail at the time in connection with the rape of a woman in Castlederg the year before, was driving the car.
The last sighting of Arlene was in the early hours of the following morning, in the car alone with Howard.
Despite this, and his sex offending history, Howard was not arrested and questioned by the RUC until 46 days after Arlene’s disappearance.
It’s believed Howard used that time to destroy evidence and to establish alibis for the night in question.
He was also able to get rid of his car, which would have contained vital evidence for any investigation.
Coroner Brian Sherrard’s 2021 report detailed how Pat Quinn had lied for Howard, telling officers that he returned the night Arlene went missing just before 3am.
In fact, Howard didn’t return to the house until 9am.
Quinn gave evidence at the inquest that Howard had told her to say this, which she believed was to cover for him not being home in time for his bail curfew.
Child killer Robert Howard
When questioned at the inquest about not telling the truth about Howard’s movements, she said it was a “white lie”.
Many years after Arlene’s disappearance Howard was charged with her murder, but was acquitted in 2005.
The jury was not told of his history of violent sexual offences or his conviction for the murder of Hannah Williams.
During the inquest into Arlene’s suspected murder, several Public Interest Immunity (PII) applications were made to withhold confidential documents from the hearing.
Grounds for PII include matters of national security or the protection of police methodologies such as the use of informers.
Arlene’s family said this supported their belief that Howard was “protected” because he was a police informer.
Thirty years on, they are still trying to find the truth. We need a public inquiry for the many unanswered questions,” Kathleen told the Sunday World this week.
“Why did they apply for PIIs about the death of a 15-year-old child? It had never happened before. Everything was for Howard, everything was for him.”
A plaque remembering Arlene lies on her parents’ grave in Castlefinn
Many searches have been carried out on both sides of the border for Arlene’s body.
The latest took place in May, when gardaí searched a rural area close to the Donegal village of Castlefinn.
A Garda spokesperson said the search was carried out “based on information received”.
“No new information emerged from this recent operation,” added the spokesperson, who appealed for anyone with information about Arlene’s disappearance to contact investigating officers in Letterkenny.
As she has done many times before, Kathleen watched on in May as officers searched for her little sister’s body.
She praised the efforts of the gardaí involved in Arlene’s case.
“They did everything possible they could and did not rule out another search.
“They are fantastic people and told us they would have loved to have found Arlene for us.”
When asked if she had the same confidence in the PSNI, she replied: “Are you for real? I have nothing to do with them at all.”
In April 1996, police officers and soldiers searched Kathleen Arkinson’s home and dug up the entire garden over several days as part of the investigation into Arlene’s disappearance.
Nothing was found during the search, which led to a breakdown in the relationship between the Arkinson family and investigating officers on the northern side of the border.
When contacted this week in relation to the investigation into Arlene’s disappearance, PSNI Detective Superintendent Barry Hamilton said: “My thoughts at this time are, first and foremost, with Arlene’s family and loved ones.
Arlene’s friend Donna Quinn was one of the last people to see her alive
“They have suffered unimaginably and I am aware that, as the 30th anniversary of Arlene’s disappearance and murder approaches, their pain will be even more profound.
“Our investigation into the disappearance and murder of Arlene Arkinson was extensive.
“And, while all active lines of inquiry have concluded, it is not too late for anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward.”
Kathleen is convinced her sister’s body will be found.
“I might not go to chapel all the time but I believe in my faith,” she told the Sunday World.
“And I believe in my prayers and I do believe Arlene will be found. If I did not think Arlene will be found, I don’t know if I would even be here myself.
“That’s what keeps me going.”
On August 13, relatives and friends of Arlene’s will gather in Castlederg to mark the 30th anniversary of her disappearance and suspected murder.
The memorial will be held at a spot with a special connection to the Arkinsons.
“We grew up in Castlefinn Park and there is a rock there where Mammy would have sat and took a rest,” said Kathleen. Arlene’s parents are buried beside St Patrick’s Church, across the road from Castlefinn Park.
Kathleen is hoping one day to be able to lay her to rest with her mother and father.
“It is torture,” she says. “Arlene was the baby of the house. She never even got to a prom. She never got to her 16th birthday, her 21st, her 30th or 40th.
“All those things she missed out on. Not only her, but we missed out on them as well.”