Body of Irish woman missing for over 20 years believed to have been found in Welsh cemetery

AN UNIDENTIFIED body buried in a Welsh cemetery since 1994 could be that of an Irishwoman who disappeared from a Wexford beach more than two decades ago.

Pauline Finlay, 49, vanished from a beach near Kilmuckridge in Co. Wexford in March 1994 while walking her pet dogs.

The dogs were later found in a distressed state on the sands but Ms Finlay was nowhere to be seen.

Despite an extensive search along the coastline, no trace of the Irish woman was ever found.

Remains were, however, discovered on a Welsh beach eight months after Ms Finlay's disappearance.

As part of Operation Orchid, North Wales Police have been investigating as many as 17 unidentified bodies that have washed up on Welsh shores over the years.

The body in question came ashore at Cable Bay in Anglesey on October 31, 1994, seven months after Pauline Finlay’s disappearance.

As the body could not be identified it was buried in a local cemetery with no clues as to the identity of the person.

"The operation recently had a significant breakthrough and the force has submitted a file to to HM Coroner for North West Wales Mr Dewi Pritchard-Jones suggesting the remains are those of an Irish woman who went missing from Co. Wexford in the mid 90s," a police spokesperson told The Irish Post.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland today reporter Barry Cummins said that Pauline Finlay’s family had been contacted by police and has submitted a sample for DNA comparison.

“The family have been told there is a strong indication that this is the body of their missing loved one,” he said.

The family will travel to Wales in the coming weeks to assist investigators.

A spokeswoman for North Wales Police told The Irish Post: "Despite extensive enquiries made at the time the remains were not identified and the death, which was not treated as suspicious, resulted in an open verdict.

"The remains were interred in a local cemetery. Under Operation Orchid, North Wales Police detectives are now using the latest DNA technology to help identify human remains discovered in the region over the last 48 years.

"Police have liaised with the woman’s family who have asked for their privacy to be respected at this time."