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Disappearances of William Maughan and Anna Varslavane

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William Maughan
Born1981
Tallaght, Ireland
Died (aged 34)
County Meath, Ireland
Known forDisappearance and likely murder
PartnerAnna Varslavane
Anna Varslavane
Born1994
Latvia
Died (aged 21)
County Meath, Ireland
Known forDisappearance and likely murder
PartnerWilliam Maughan

William Maughan and Anna Varslavane are a couple who disappeared on 14 April 2015 from the Gormanstown area of County Meath.

Background

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William "Willie" Maughan was originally from Tallaght.[1] He was 5 feet 8 inches (173 centimetres) tall, with a shaven head and green eyes.[1] He was 34.[2]

Anastasija "Anna" Varslavane was originally from Latvia but had lived in Ireland for several years.[1] She was 5 feet 6 inches (168 centimetres) tall, of slim build and had dark hair.[1] She was 21.[2] She was pregnant at the time of her disappearance.[3]

Disappearance

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They had been living together in Gormanston, County Meath, and were on their way to meet William's mother to get a lift to Tallaght.[4]

On 14 April 2015 Anna rang William's mother at 2:57pm.[2] One of her sons answered and he could hear Anna calling for help.[2]

Ten minutes later the Maughan family arrived at the agreed pickup point but neither William or Anna were there.[2]

Investigation

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Gardaí suspect the couple were murdered on orders from a figure who has since become involved in the Drogheda feud.[5][4][6] They suspect that he was behind the fatal shooting of Benny Whitehouse in Balbriggan in 2014 and that the couple were killed because the gang feared that they would provide information to the Gardaí about the shooting of Whitehouse.[6]

William's parents Joseph and Helen have made appeals about the disappearance of their son and his girlfriend.[4][7] Joseph Maughan believes that his son was targeted because he knew too much about a murder that happened in 2014.[2]

In August 2016 the grave of William's younger brother Michael "Bobby" Maughan was dug up in what the family believe was an attempt at intimidation by the gang responsible for the disappearance.[8] The vandalism happened in the early hours of the morning the day after Joseph Maughan appealed for information on the disappearance of William.[8] Three men entered Bohernabreena Cemetery after 2am and started digging up the grave, though Michael's remains were not removed from it.[8] Michael Maughan died as a result of meningitis.[8]

In 2017 Gardaí examined a site in County Louth as one line of investigation.[1]

On 28 April 2020 a man in his 50s was arrested and held at Ashbourne Garda station.[4][5] He could be questioned for up to seven days.[4] It is the first arrest in the investigation.[4]

On 8 July 2020 three men, in their twenties, fifties and sixties and a woman in her forties were arrested and held in Garda stations in Meath and Dublin in relation to the case.[9] Searches that took place at a location in Meath were completed on the same date.[9] On 10 July 2020 they were released.[10] Gardaí will prepare files for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide on whether to prosecute.[10]

Gardaí believe gangland figure Cornelius Price may have ordered the deaths of William, Anna, and their unborn child. Price died in Wales in 2023.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Search underway in Louth in connection with disappearance of Willie Maughan and Anna Varslavane". echo.ie. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Williams, Paul (1 June 2015). "Missing couple made desperate call for help". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  3. ^ Ryan, Keeley (4 December 2015). "Missing couple were 'expecting first baby together' grieving dad reveals". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Hussey, Sinead. "First arrest in five-year investigation into couple's murder". RTE News.
  5. ^ a b MacNamee, Garreth (28 April 2020). "Potential breakthrough in double murder investigation as associate of gangland figure arrested". The Journal. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  6. ^ a b Lally, Conor (28 April 2020). "Gangland figure held over assumed murder of couple five years ago". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  7. ^ McDermott, Stephen (25 March 2019). "'Put our family at peace': Parents of murdered Willie Maughan make appeal to find his killers". The Journal. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d Grant, Martin (18 August 2016). "'How low can you get?' - family's horror as gang suspected of murdering man and his girlfriend dig up his brother's grave". Irish Independent. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Four arrested in murder investigation into couple missing since 2015". RTE News. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  10. ^ a b Power, Jack; Lally, Conor (10 July 2020). "Four released after questioning over suspected murders of missing couple". Irish Times. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  11. ^ Reynolds, Paul (20 February 2023). "Cornelius Price: The life and death of a crime boss". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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