People have renewed their calls for justice for ‘Ireland’s Madeleine McCann‘, Mary Boyle, after the death of the last man to see her alive.
Gerry Gallagher, the uncle of six-year-old Mary who went missing from outside her home in Kincasslagh, Co. Donegal, in March 18, 1977, has died after a short illness, the Irish Independent reports.
After the news broke, Facebook users who suspect Gerry killed the six-year-old have called for Gardaí to search his land in the hope of finding her body to solve the decades-long mystery. One person on the Justice for Mary Boyle Facebook page wrote: ‘I am fuming that he didn’t have to face justice on this earth or reveal where Mary is.’
Others commented that ‘the truth goes with [Gallagher]’, noting that the missing girl’s family, which has been driven apart by the unsolved mystery, is still without answers nearly 46 years on.
The last man to ever see missing 6-year-old Mary Boyle alive has died as Facebook users claim ‘the truth goes with him’. Gerry Gallagher was the last person to see his niece Mary (pictured) in 1977 before she vanished outside her home in Kincasslagh, Co. Donegal. Nearly 50 years on no trace of Mary has ever been found and she is presumed dead
It had been reported that, shortly before Mary vanished, she was eating a packet of Tayto crisps while following her uncle Gerry who was returning a ladder to a neighbour. But along the way, the six-year-old turned back at the instruction of Gerry after they came to a waterlogged patch of field.
Nearly 46 years on, the case remains unsolved with no one ever charged over Mary’s disappearance. She is presumed dead but her family, including her twin sister Ann Doherty, still have no answers. Another theory that has circulated around Mary’s disappearance is that she fell victim to child serial killer, Robert Black.
Gerry Gallagher (pictured) claimed that on the afternoon of her disappearance, Mary followed him across a field while he returned a ladder he had borrowed from some neighbours, but when he reached a waterlogged patch of land he instructed her to turn back
On the day of Mary’s disappearance, which was the day after St Patrick’s Day, the six-year-old was outside her home playing with Ann, her older brother Paddy, and two cousins. Gerry Gallagher was carrying out repairs on his sister Ann Boyle’s home (Mary, Ann and Paddy’s mother).
At around 3.45pm Gerry left the Boyle home to return the ladder to the Cawleys, who lived a five minute walk away. According to his account, Mary followed him until he asked her to turn back. He then said he chatted to the Cawleys before returning to his sister’s house at 4.30pm.
It was around this time that Ann Boyle realised her daughter was not outside playing with her siblings and cousins and she began to panic.
In 2011, Mrs Boyle told the Irish Independent: ‘I looked out the front door. The rest of the children were playing in a thicket in the front garden, Mary was not there.
‘My brother Gerry was fixing a stone wall in front of the house. I asked him did he see Mary, he didn’t answer, he must not have heard me.
‘Ten minutes later I asked did anyone see Mary and Gerry shot off in his car down the road.’
At the time of Mary’s disappearance in 1977, Mrs Boyle is reported to have said: ‘When I looked out and saw only the four children, Gerry was there at the wall.
‘Gerry didn’t mention to me at any time that Mary was missing and didn’t tell me that she was with him until he had the first search was carried out.’
Ann has previously claimed she knows who killed her twin sister and that it was someone known to Mary.
Following news of Gallagher’s death, Facebook users who believe he was responsible for her murder have made their feelings known.
One person said: ‘I’m so sorry that you didn’t get to see him face justice for Mary and you for your continued fight for her. He will face his retribution for not letting her rest peacefully.’
Another wrote: ‘If he knew something I hope he left a note. If he was guilty, God will be the judge now!
‘Let’s hope Mary is found soon enough.’
One person added: ‘Hopefully the farm will be searched from top to bottom.
‘Shame He never faced justice.’
In 2016, Mary’s twin Ann Doherty spoke to investigative journalist Gemma O’Doherty as part of a documentary about her twin sister’s disappearance.
Appearing in Mary Boyle: The Untold Story, Ann said: ‘I believe that Mary had a secret. And, because Mary was fiesty, Mary would have told.
‘So I believe Mary had to be killed, to stop her from telling.’
When asked by the journalist what she thought the secret was, Ann replied: ‘Mary was sexually assaulted.’
Margo O’Donnell, a singer and the cousin of Mary’s late father Charlie (who died in a fishing accident in 2005), teamed up with Ann to campaign for justice for the missing six-year-old as they searched for answers.
Speaking on a podcast in 2019 Ann revealed she believed she knew who Mary’s killer was. She also alleged her mother knew the killer’s identity as well, and a wedge had been driven between the family.
Mrs Doherty, who believes Mary was killed by someone known to her, said her mother shared those suspicions but wouldn’t admit that in public. Mrs Boyle insisted she didn’t know who killed her daughter.
Mary’s sister has previously shared her suspicions with the gardaí. No details about the suspect were aired on the podcast at the time for legal reasons, but it was understood at the time that she was referring to Gerry.
Ann called for an inquest into her twin’s death but Mrs Boyle disagreed, arguing she did not want to admit Mary was dead.
At the time Mrs Boyle said: ‘I don’t want an inquest that Mary is dead. I want to believe that Mary is still alive somewhere. I have to live that way.’
However Ann stated: ‘I do think an inquest is the best thing, as it may lead to Mary being found. There might be something that comes out of it that could help.
‘When I asked for the inquest [my mother] wasn’t happy about that. And she rang up and she was not happy and she stopped talking, so there’s not much you can do about it.
‘It’s very tough. I should be able to talk to my mother, but at the minute I can’t. A few people have tried to patch us up, but it’s not happening at the minute.’
Despite the division Mary’s disappearance has caused within her family, Mrs Boyle has said she remains optimistic she’ll get answers one day.
She said: ‘I never lost my faith all through everything. I pray to find out what happened to Mary before I die. Everyday I pray for that. There’s times I think maybe she’s alive somewhere. I have that hope still at the back of my mind.’
