Search for Irish teenager in Spain
Saturday, 5 January 2008 22:26
Police in Spain are investigating the disappearance of an Irish teenager who went missing on the Costa del Sol on New Year's Day.

Amy Fitzpatrick, 15, has not been seen since she left a friend's house to walk home at around 10pm on 1 January.

The teenager is originally from Dublin but moved to Calahonda with her mother, brother and step-father in 2004.

 
Calahonda is located between Marbella and Fuengirola in Spain.

It is understood that Ms Fitzpatrick does not have her mobile phone or passport with her.

Police step up hunt

 for missing girl

6th January 2008

Sniffer dogs aid in search for 15-year-old Amy who vanished on the Costa del Sol five days ago

Wednesday February 06 2008

The family and friends of Amy Fitzpatrick are distributing photographs in Morocco today as part of their ongoing search for the missing Irish teenager.

The 15-year-old Dubliner hasn't been seen since disappearing in the Costa del Sol on New Year's Day.

Her family say they are not following any specific lead in Tangiers today, but decided to take their campaign to the Moroccan port as it is so close to their home in southern Spain.

Mother weeps for her 'Baby Bunton';

Byline: Ann Mooney

Still gone: Search for Amy goes on A mothers pain: Audrey Fitzpatrick breaks down during an emotional appeal for her daughters return

 

AMY Fitzpatricks mother wept yesterday as she begged for the safe return of her daughter, who went missing in Spain on New Years Day.

Audrey Fitzpatrick insisted that she and her 15-year-old daughterwhom she has nicknamed Baby Bunton are very close and said she is very upset by Amy being portrayed  
  as a troubledgirl by so-called friends in interviews.

Search agony grows for family of Amy (15)

PLEASE DONT MAKE THIS INTO ANOTHER MADDIE

Tuesday January 08 2008

THE sun was shining but he looked forlorn and alone.

Yesterday, the Fitzpatricks' family home in their adopted country was empty, except for Amy's Labrador-type dog who lay on the patio outside.

Moping inside the gates in the sunlight, he looked alone and dejected as the family has not stayed at the house for a number of days. Even strangers who approached the gate were greeted with a wagging tail and lick.

Both inside and outside the small gated community, all was quiet.

Not a single search team could be seen on the surrounding hills and the only dogs around were those who were lazing in the sun.

Running

Yesterday was a bank holiday in Spain and all services were running at reduced levels -- or not at all. Locals and ex-pats took the national day off to heart and switched off for the day.

Shops were shut, there was little traffic on the roads and those who were outdoors strolled around leisurely.

Outside Amy's home, a gated development called Riviera Del Sol, just outside Fuengirola, children played in the shrubland, oblivious to the fact a teenager had vanished nearby without a trace. Some poked through shrubbery, others rode their bikes.

It was a very different scene to that when Madeleine McCann disappeared last summer in Portugal, when locals and ex-pats joined the search to try and find the missing girl.

But the family does not want a repeat of the publicity which has surrounded her case.

"Please don't turn this into a circus," a family spokesman said last night.

"Don't make it another Maddy. Let the police do their job.

"I am happy with them and the family are happy with them."

No posters of Amy have been placed on the walls of the development where the family live or in nearby shops.

However, the police station in Fuengirola had a new poster with more up-to-date pictures of Amy, and not those of her posing in a schoolgirl outfit.

"Amy is a shy and quiet girl (if she doesn't know you) and has a semi-Irish accent," the A4-sized sheet in the station's reception area read.

Worried

"Her family is extremely worried as she always stays in contact with them, no matter what." Although Spanish TV had carried stories of the missing teen for a number of days, there were fewer reports yesterday.

Her family said they do not want to talk about her disappearance.

And they have not made any appeal for information since they gave a short press conference last Saturday.

At 9am this morning police will begin a more detailed search.

By tonight, the Fitzpatrick family hopes to have some answers.

POLICE ARE DOING ALL THEY CAN

Tuesday January 08 2008

Spanish police yesterday claimed they were doing everything they could to find missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick -- but there were no search teams to be seen in the hills where she vanished.

The 15-year-old has not been seen since she left her friend's house on New Year's Day to walk to her home in the popular holiday resort just outside Fuengirola.

Yesterday a neighbour of Amy's family tried to report a recent incident of a strange man offering her daughter a lift -- but as of last night the police did not contact her.

Last night Debbie Rose, who was one of the last people to see her daughter's best friend before she disappeared last Tuesday night, said the police need to do more to find her.

"They need to get more teams out there and keep looking until they find something," she said.

"It's a fiesta here today and everything shuts down but this is something that can't wait. They need to keep looking."

She thinks the police believe the Dublin teen has run away, as she has a number of times in the past. However, previously she always returned within a day or two, and this time she vanished without any money or phone.

Yesterday, police insisted they were taking her disappearance seriously and said search teams had spent the day combing the Mijas mountains and nearby shrubland.

A spokesman refused to say how many were looking or where exactly. However, there was not a single search team anywhere near the route she walked home that night.

He said the search would intensify today, and if no leads were found by this evening, even more officers would join the search tomorrow.

Stranger

Yesterday one of Amy's neighbours said her 13-year-old daughter told her on Sunday about a stranger offering her a lift just several hundred yards from the gated complex.

"Roxanna was out looking for our dog and she couldn't find it," said Karen. "A man in a dark blue Mercedes drove along and asked her to get in the car. She refused and started running away." Her young daughter was terrified by the incident.

- Edel Kennedy in Fuengirola, Spain

I FEAR ITS TOO LATE FOR AMY
Wednesday January 09 2008

HER best friend has been missing for eight days. And Kim Simpson fears today's planned search for Amy Fitzpatrick may be too little, too late.

The 15-year-old has not been seen since she left her friends house eight days ago to walk to her home in the popular holiday resort, just outside Fuengirola. Last night, Kim (15) said she believes Amy is being held against her will.

Yesterday, Amy's family also expressed anger at the delay in launching a search for the missing girl.

"I'm thinking about it too much," said Kim, who has known Amy for four years. "I don't think anything good has happened to her. Wherever she is, I don't think she's able to leave."

Two years ago, Amy lived with Kim and her family for almost four months and the two girls "tell each other everything". Kim is convinced that if Amy was unhappy and wanted to run away, she would have told her about her plans.

"She was fine, she had no reason to run away," she said last night, as she prepared to help in the major search which is being launched by the Spanish authorities today.

"Any time she went missing before she would always call me straight away. Plus she was looking forward to go to Ireland soon for a trip."

This morning, volunteers will gather at the football stadium in Mijas, just a few miles from where the Fitzpatrick family live. There they will be organised into teams by the Spanish authorities to help them comb the hills and scrubland along the route Amy was supposed to have walked home.

Amy's mother, Audrey, will be there, as well as students from Amy's old school in Mijas, IES Torre Aliuenara.

Yesterday students at the secondary school had returned from their Christmas break, and they were speaking about the missing Dublin girl. However, Amy had not attended the school since 2006.

Down

Natasha Clarke (16), from Wales, said Amy had been "very, very down" while in school.

Deputy Principal Mario Galdeano said she had attended another school from April 2005, before joining their school in September of that year. However, she did not return after the school year was over.

"She didn't know Spanish and had problems with the language," he said, adding that she failed many of the subjects at the end of the year.

He described her as a "normal student" with no disruptive behaviour.

Mr Galdeano said he understood that she attended a private school afterwards.

Today, students who wish to take part in the search are allowed to, if their parents give them permission.

One of Amy's closest friends, Ashley Rose (13), asked other students to help with the search.

She also recalled a number of times in the past year when Amy had been offered lifts by strangers. Kim also spoke of strange men approaching the missing teenager, adding that although vigilant, Amy hadn't been concerned about it.

"There's always some perverts about but she never took it seriously," she said.

No new leads have been found but the family are continuing to treat Amy as missing.

- Edel Kennedy in Fuengirola, Spain

Spanish police interview Amy Fitzpatrick’s parents

12/01/2008 - 09:04:14
Spanish police have interviewed the mother and stepfather of missing Dublin teenager Amy Fitzpatrick.

It is understood that they spent several hours at the station of the Guardia Civil on the Costa del Sol yesterday.

A spokesperson for the family has said the couple are helping the investigating officers build up a picture of the 15-year-old's home life.

Amy has not been seen since she vanished from the resort town of Fuengirola in the south of Spain on New Year's Day.

Yesterday, Spanish police requested the assistance of the Gardaí. It is understood they want to know whether any sightings of Amy have been made in Ireland.

Desperate mum's plea as Spanish police step up search
 

By Edel Kennedy in Fuengirola, Spain

Thursday January 10 2008

The mother of missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick pleaded with her daughter yesterday to come home, telling her: "There is nothing to be scared of."

Audrey Fitzpatrick made an emotional appeal for information as up to 200 police combed the hilly scrubland surrounding her home in southern Spain.

"I just want to appeal to anyone who may be holding Amy against her will," she said, her voice breaking.

"Please let my Baby Bunton go. She's just a loving kid who never did anyone any harm in her life. Please don't hurt her."

She also went on to say that if Amy is out there and is afraid to come back before of the period of time that has passed, to please call her.

"We just want you back home with us where you belong. If you have any problems, don't worry. We'll deal with them. But please just come home."

The 15-year-old has not been seen since she waved goodbye to her best friend at 10pm on New Year's Day.

Yesterday, eight days after she was last seen, members of the Guardia Civil, Proteccion Civil, Red Cross, firemen and local police took part in an organised search.

Specialist

Seven cadaver dogs were brought in by specialist handlers while two helicopters hovered overhead in the area around Calahonda in the Costa Del Sol. Although a number of items were found, none was confirmed as Amy's belongings.

The decision was taken early that morning not to allow volunteers to take part, despite appeals the previous day for members of the public to show up at the nearby football stadium.

A police spokesman said the dull, wet weather had made the ground slippery and the volunteers would also slow things down as they would have to be instructed and guided by the search experts.

Amy's friends arrived at the stadium, as did some Irish ex-pats who had heard the appeal for volunteers on the radio.

"I got a call from a friend in Marbella asking me to help gather some volunteers together," said Catherine Higgins from Galway, who has been living here for five years.

"But on the way over we heard on the radio that the volunteers would not be taking part."

Gerry Sullivan, a volunteerfrom Dublin, said he only learned of her disappearance five days after she was last seen.

"Even word of mouth has been slow," he said.

The teams began searching at around 10am yesterday and finished before 4pm. Amy's mother Audrey and her partner Dave Mahon later held a press conference to again appeal for information.

She thanked the media for their coverage but also hit out at inaccurate reports in some papers that clothing found earlier in the week belonged to Amy, and also at rumours indicating her body had been found.

Mr Mahon, who placed a tape recorder in his pocket before the conference began, confirmed that the Department of Foreign Affairs had been in touch with the family "many times".

But he said they declined its help as they are happy with the way the Spanish police are handling the investigation. And they have not requested help from the garda in Dublin "The embassy has been on many many times offering all sorts of help," Mr Mahon said.

"At the moment we don't need ... the Spanish police have been a million per cent, a million per cent. We don't need anything as yet."

The family have also declined the help of a local Spanish man whose daughter was killed in the region some years ago.

Footage

Spanish police have examined CCTV footage from properties along the path Amy should have walked home along but it has not given any new leads.

A helpline is continuing to yield up to 20 calls a day but it has also failed to bring any positive information. Mr Mahon emphasised that the family are happy with the way the police are handling the investigation.

"The police pulled out all the stops from day one which is two days after ... the helicopters are not just today, the helicopters were there two days later, the sniffer dogs were there two days later. The police have been 100pc, not just today."

He also confirmed that items found in the scrubland do not belong to Amy. "The leggings were found today, they're not Amy's. A bra was found, it's not Amy's. A body was found yesterday, it's not Amy's.

"Items have been found every day, none of them have been Amy's." The search will begin again today but it is understood that the numbers taking part will be scaled back.

Police declined to say how long they intend to continue the search.

- Edel Kennedy in Fuengirola, Spain

200 search for missing Irish girl

Karl McLaughlin
The mother of the Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick who is missing in Spain admitted last night that she was very concerned that her daughter had not been in touch over the past week and still held out hope that her disappearance may be a "prank that has got out of hand".

Audrey Fitzpatrick and partner Dave Mahon, accompanied by a Spanish civil guard representative and the family's official spokesman, held a press conference in Mijas shortly after 200 Spanish searchers had called off the latest, and so far biggest, hunt for the 15-year-old. Amy has not been seen since January 1st. The search of a 6km radius around the family home in Riviera del Sol (Mijas) is to be resumed this morning.

"Amy has always kept in contact by phone when she has stayed away from home, which is why we are so worried this time," said Ms Fitzpatrick. The family used the press conference to put an end to speculation throughout the day that an item of clothing found during yesterday's search belonged to her daughter.

She stressed that she and Amy were "very close", despite the typical teenager arguments they had. She made an emotional plea to anyone who may be holding her to let her go and expressed her hope that her daughter would turn up at her door at any time.

Ms Fitzpatrick, who thanked the Spanish authorities for their efforts, ended by addressing her daughter directly, assuring her that if "she had any problems they would be resolved and she should not be afraid to come home". She confirmed that Amy had left her mobile phone behind at home and had no money with her on the day she disappeared.

Meanwhile, the local police have called for the media covering the case to exercise restraint and caution in their reporting.

A spokesman said that the constant speculation was unhelpful and the use of expressions such as "the area where Amy was last seen alive" should be avoided by reporters in their coverage so as not to fuel needless speculation.

He added that the case remained, for the moment, a missing person investigation and no relevant clues had been found during the search as to what might have happened to her.

Despite the official line taken by the authorities, the Spanish media continue to draw parallels with the disappearances of a number of teenage girls in the area in recent years which ended tragically.

A spokesman for the civil guard on the Costa del Sol said after the press conference that Amy's photograph had been sent to Interpol and was being circulated widely as part of the scaled-up hunt for the missing teenager.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said officials from the Irish Embassy in Madrid had been in contact by telephone a number of times with the missing teenager's family.

 A Garda spokesman said the force has no "direct involvement" in the case at this stage

"We're liaising with Interpol and Europol because she is an Irish national. And we have also appealed for anybody who believes she may be in Ireland to contact us. But we have no direct involvement."

No stone unturned, but no clue to ease heartache

Thursday January 10 2008

Like beetles, they scurried around in the undergrowth, poking and prodding in bushes and drains. When a shout went up, everyone held their breath.

Could this be something? Would it be an end to hope?

No stone was left unturned, but each turn brought potential heartache.

Yesterday, search teams swarmed over the hills surrounding Amy Fitzpatrick's home in the hope of finding some clue as to why she vanished nine days ago.

The discovery of a pair of black leggings, which didn't look like they had been in the scrub for a long period, made all catch their breath.

Search teams stopped. Momentarily, so did hearts. Detectives were brought in and the leggings were taken away in a black plastic bag.

But they weren't Amy's -- and everyone exhaled. She was still missing and the search continued.

Yesterday, her mother made a heartfelt appeal to her daughter. "There is nothing to be scared of," she said.

"We just want you back home with us where you belong. If you have any problems, don't worry. We'll deal with them. But please, just come home."

When asked what possession at home is giving her comfort and memories of Amy, she smiled for the first time during the difficult conference; "The fridge," she said.

Joking

"We were always joking about how much she eats, even though she never puts on any weight. When Amy comes into the house, the first thing she does is go straight to the fridge and devours everything lying around."

She recalled one time she even ate cold Brussels sprouts and gravy. "It's all of those little things that we are thinking of at the moment when we think of Amy. I keep thinking she's going to walk through the door and head straight to the fridge."

Amy left home without every teenager's lifeline -- her mobile phone -- which is still sitting in her room. Had she got it with her, police would be easily able to track her final movements through the phone signal.

Hoping

Audrey said she is hoping against hope that Amy is ok.

"I don't know if it's my gut feeling, or I'm hoping that she's just gone with somebody that she knows, meant to come back but then it's gone so far now maybe she's afraid to come back.

"That's what I'm feeling. That's what I'm hoping."

Search party for Amy Fitzpatrick missing from Mijas extends the area to Marbella

By m.p. - Jan 10, 2008 - 4:33 PM

There was no news of anything found on the second day of the search
The search for Amy Fitzpatrick, the 15 year old Irish girl who disappeared from Mijas on the evening of New Year’s Day, widened to the Marbella area on Thursday, after a five hour search over a six kilometre radius in Mijas on Wednesday failed to find any items of note. It’s understood the area covered on Thursday extends as far as part of the Elviria Urbanisation in Marbella, and as with Wednesday’s, only experienced personnel took part.

The search party set off at 9am, led by the Civil Guard, with the assistance of local police officers and the Red Cross, together with Protección Civil and fire personnel from a number of towns on the Costa del Sol. Again, there have been no indications of anything of note being found so far, a fact confirmed in a radio interview by Francisco Ortega, coordinator of the 112 emergency service in Málaga.

Málaga Hoy newspaper had earlier quoted sources close to the case mentioning a series of what they describe as ‘reliable’ leads which have recently come to light, which could help to find the missing teenager.

Amy disappeared while walking home to the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation in Calahonda from a friend’s house in the Calypso area at around 10pm on the evening of New Year’s Day. The teenager is 1.65m tall, has black hair, and was wearing black track suit bottoms and a T-shirt with the word ‘Diesel.’

The contact telephone numbers for any information on her whereabouts are 112, 062, 686 044 181 and 952 474 030.

Desperate hunt for Amy goes on

Friday January 11 2008

THE mother of missing Amy Fitzpatrick yesterday retraced the 15-year-old's last steps before she vanished.
Early in the afternoon, Audrey Fitzpatrick and her partner Dave Mahon made a heartbreaking trip to the home of Debbie Rose near Fuengirola in Spain. Amy had been babysitting at Debbie's house the night before she disappeared.

They paused outside the house before driving down the dirt track the teen regularly took as a shortcut to her home in the gated community of Riveria Del Sol.

Accompanied by police, they then drove the short distance back to their home.

Amy's brother Dean (17) later retraced the path alone.

Yesterday, the organised search continued, with up to 250 members of various police forces taking part.

However, the search will be severely scaled back today as the Proteccion Civil, Red Cross, firemen and local police will pull out. The Guardia Civil will continue, but refused to say how many officers will be taking part.

Neighbours of Ms Rose, whose homes are just yards from the dirt track, also said they had not yet been questioned by the police.

"I don't think they've been very thorough," said Rene Collins.

"They're just standing around a lot and the other day the helicopter flew overhead about 20 or 30 times. But there wasn't a very detailed search going on.

"We've all been walking on the path since and the rain would have washed away any evidence."

One Irishman, who has been living in the area for five years, said he has been working at the top of the path every day -- and has not been asked a single question by police.

"They all have a very lackadaisical attitude," said the Cork man, who did not wish to be named.

"At first I thought it was an eight-year-old girl who went missing. Today is the first day I've seen them searching along here."

A group of Guardia Civil officers traced the steps from Riveria Del Sol to Ms Rose's house, lifting the lids of drains as they went along.

Convicted

Ms Collins's daughter Yasmen said she would never walk along the path on her own in the dark. She also referred to Tony King, who was convicted of murdering two Spanish girls in the area a number of years ago. She said although she was young at the time, she knew "never to walk alone at night".

"I walked the track with Amy and other friends, but never alone," she said.

"I'm really depressed about this and if she's hearing any of this I'd ask her to come back and just come to our house. If she's having problems with her family she can just come here.

"This is hard on all of us," she added.

She said a number of years ago Amy had called to her house after having a row with her family but she rang her mother to tell her where she was and that she would be home the following day.

Yesterday police dismissed as "rubbish and rumours" reports in Spanish newspapers that there would be a major breakthrough in the case yesterday.

They also said their job would be easier if the search was taking place in a rural area as much clothing and rubbish has been dumped in the urban area they are covering.

No new leads were found in the case yesterday.

Messages of support for Amy and pleas for her to come home have been placed on her Bebo site in the past number of days.

Many are from people who do not know her, saying they hope she is all right and will soon be home safely.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said he was very concerned.

"By all accounts she's a girl that hasn't gone missing before and is very close to her mother. So from that point of view, we just hope she will turn up, but I think it's fair to say that the Spanish have been excellent in the facilities they have given to the family so far."

Spanish police request assistance of Gardai in Amy Fitzpatrick search

Friday January 11 2008

The Spanish police have requested the assistance of the Gardaí in the search for missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick.

The 15 year old has not been seen since she vanished from the resort town of Fuengirola in the south of Spain on New Year's day.

According to the Gardaí, contact has been made through the force's liaison's personnel in Interpol's Madrid offices.

It is understood the Spanish police wish to know if any sightings are made of the Amy in Ireland.

Police examine computer in search for Irish girl
Gardaí have confirmed they are assisting Spanish police looking for Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick after the search of the Mijas area on the Costa del Sol was scaled down today.

Civil Guard investigators in Spain are today reportedly examining the 15-year-old's computer as they investigate the theory that she may have fled back to Ireland.

The possibility that she may be hiding in a friend's house in Spain is also being investigated.

The Spanish authorities have also contacted Interpol for asssistance in the search.

The teenager disappeared on January 1st when she failed to return home after spending New Year's Eve at a friend's house a short distance from her home in Riviera del Sol in Calahonda, near Mijas.

Amy was staying there with mother Audrey, brother Dean (17) and stepfather Dave Mahon.

Yesterday, 213 Civil Guard officers, along with police and firemen, searched an area of 18 square kilometres west of where Amy was last seen.

Police also said they are following-up on leads from the public placing Amy in Malaga capital, Fuengirola, and the town of Coín.

Spanish police interview Amy Fitzpatrick's parents

Saturday January 12 2008

It is being reported this morning that Spanish police have interviewed the mother and stepfather of missing Dublin teenager Amy Fitzpatrick.

It is understood that they spent several hours at the station of the Guardia Civil on the Costa del Sol yesterday.

A spokesperson for the family has said the couple are helping the investigating officers build up a picture of the 15-year-old's home life.

Amy hasn't been seen since she vanished from the resort town of Fuengirola in the south of Spain on New Year's Day.

Yesterday Spanish police requested the assistance of the Gardai.

It is understood they want to know if any sightings of Amy have been made in Ireland.

Tuesday January 15 2008

Spanish police have interviewed the brother of missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick.
Dean Fitzpatrick (17) was asked to visit the local Guardia Civil office near Fuengirola yesterday morning to give a statement.

Meanwhile, Amy's family have said it is unlikely she has left Spain as has been reported -- but admitted that "everything is possible".

It is now two full weeks since the 15-year-old was last seen.

She left her friend's house at 10pm on New Year's Day but failed to make it home, a 20-minute walk away.

Last Friday her mother, Audrey, and her partner, Dave Mahon, were interviewed by police on two occasions about the teen. Yesterday morning the police asked that Dean go to the station.

A family spokesman said he was interviewed by the Guardia Civil for a number of hours.

Franco Rey said that, like his mother, he was asked to help build a picture of Amy's home life in the hope of finding some clues as to where she might be.

He said they are all becoming "more and more concerned" about Amy as time passes.

"We want to do everything we can that could help the police find her," he said.

Reports in Spanish papers have indicated she may have left Spain because she desperately wanted to return home to Ireland.

There is some speculation she may have planned to leave via Gibraltar, before moving on to Ireland. However, Amy had no money and no form of identification with her.

"Everything is possible but she had no ID card and no passport," said Mr Rey.

A major search of the residential area where she was last seen was carried out by up to 250 members of various police forces last Wednesday. However, the search was scaled back after just one day.

UK man in Amy probe speaks out

Costa Del Sol neighbour says he is innocent and just wants to see teenager safe at home
 

By GERARD COUZENS

Sunday January 20 2008

THE British man arrested after being questioned over the disappearance of Amy Fitzpatrick has insisted he has nothing to do with it.

Londoner Ritchie O'Shea broke his silence following his 24-hour detention earlier this week to claim his name was being dragged through the mud.

He was arrested on an outstanding warrant relating to a traffic offence on Wednesday and taken to court on Thursday to receive a fine and an 18-month driving ban.

Police have confirmed his arrest had nothing to do with the Irish teenager's disappearance on New Year's Day from her home on Spain's Costa del Sol.

But Ritchie, 34, said he was now a virtual prisoner in his own home and was planning to leave Spain in the next few days.

"I'm not sure where I'm going yet but I will be leaving the country for a while," he said yesterday.

"The fact that the police have not retained my passport and have said I'm free to go when I want is a clear sign they don't see me as a suspect in Amy's disappearance. If they had any doubt they wouldn't be letting me out of their sight.

"I'm fed up with having people point the finger at me over Amy when all I ever wanted to do was help. I've lived on the Costa del Sol on and off for more than 20 years but at the moment I feel like I can't go out in the street anymore without people giving me funny looks.

"My first name or full name is now on dozens of websites in stories about Amy and it's just not fair. Dozens of people can vouch for me.

"And I have a friend who was at home with me on New Year's Day and the two days before and after and can tell police I never left the house on any of those days."

Computer expert Ritchie, who has known Amy's stepdad Dave Mahon, 36, and her mum Audrey, 39, for several years, added: "I'm confused myself as to what has happened to Amy. I knew she was missing Ireland and at the beginning I thought she had most probably run away.

"But now I fear something terrible may have happened to her. She's been gone a long time and I would have expected her to make contact with a friend before now.

"But I'm happy to repeat myself until I'm blue in the face -- I have nothing to do with her disappearance."

Police are searching for a missing Ford Fiesta Ritchie used that was parked outside his former home and disappeared at the start of the year.

Spanish newspapers have reported that detectives are probing the possibility that Amy had access to the car and may have used it to leave the Costa del Sol.

But Ritchie said: "The suggestion Amy used the car is ridiculous. It was locked and she'd never driven it. She's only 15 for God's sake."

He said Amy's parents Dave and Audrey helped him give up drinking and that was the reason he got involved in the search.

"I want Amy back home with her parents safe and well."

- GERARD COUZENS

Mum vows to continue search for missing teen Amy

Wednesday January 23 2008

The mother of missing Amy Fitzpatrick has vowed to travel "the length of Spain and Gibraltar" in the hope of finding the teenager.

The 15-year-old vanished after leaving her friend's house near Feungirola, in Spain, at 10pm on New Year's Day. She set out on the 20-minute walk to her own house, but has not been seen since.

Despite a search of the surrounding area by the Guardia Civil and huge publicity in the Spanish media, there have been no positive sightings of the teenager since she vanished.

There had been reported sightings of Amy in Wexford but this has been ruled out by gardai.

Yesterday, Audrey Fitzpatrick said she will travel across the country to try and raise awareness of her daughter's disappearance.

"We just feel so helpless," she said. "It is now 22 days since Amy went missing and there has been nothing at all for the Guardia Civil to go on.

Sightings

"They have done everything -- interviewing friends and family, and searching for her, but there has been not a shred of information that is leading to anything positive. Even sightings have proved to be wrong.

"We just don't know what to do from here. And we know that the longer it goes on, the less and less people become interested. Especially with the missing little girl Mary Luz in Huelva, which is at the forefront of everyone's mind."

Mari Luz Cortes vanished on January 13, as she went to buy sweets from a local kiosk in the Spanish town of Huelva, near the border with Portugal. A massive search for the five-year-old is ongoing.

The disappearance has been linked to that of Madeleine McCann from the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, although police said they did not think the two cases were connected.

Ms Fitzpatrick yesterday said that her only daughter is "still just a kid".

"She is only 15 and she has disappeared without trace."

Audrey and partner, Dave Mahon, have been interviewed by the Spanish police a number of times in an attempt to build a picture of Amy. Her brother Dean (17) was also interviewed.

Her computer was examined but it is not believed to have any clues as to her disappearance. When she vanished she had no passport, no phone and no money.

Last week a family friend, Richard (Richie) O'Shea was questioned in relation to traffic offences.

However, police have ruled out him being involved in her disappearance. Police are now searching for his Ford Fiesta which went missing a few days after Amy was last seen.

- Edel Kennedy

Police believe Amy ran away
Friday January 25 2008

Spanish police searching for missing Irish teen Amy Fitzpatrick believe she may have run away from home.

Investigators have yet to come up with any clues to her whereabouts more than three weeks after she vanished near her Costa del Sol home on New Year's Day.

They said yesterday that they are becoming increasingly convinced that the 15-year-old disappeared voluntarily and was not abducted after leaving a friend's house, where she had been babysittting on New Year's Day.

Civil Guard officers leading the search for Amy are still hunting for a white Ford Fiesta belonging to Ritchie O'Shea, a friend of the teenager's family, who was arrested last week after police questioning. Last night, they released the English numberplate of the car in the hope it will jog the memory of a member of the public.

The number plate is C955 SLK. Detectives believe finding it could be crucial to their investigation.

Amy is reported to have driven the car on several occasions after opening it with a screwdriver.

Hilario Lopez Luna, government delegate for the Malaga province where Amy's family lives, said: "All lines of investigation are open; no hypothesis has been ruled out."

But he added: "One very important line of investigation is that she left voluntarily."

Tonight, 24 days since she was last seen, her family will hold a special mass.

Dozens of well-wishers, including Amy's friends, are expected to join them at the church of Santa Teresa de Jesus in La Cala de Mijas near the family home for the 7pm Mass.

Amy's mother Audrey, who plans to attend with her son Dean and partner Dave Mahon, said: "It gives us strength and we can only hope that with everyone's prayers, Amy will come back safe and sound."

Disappeared

However, Mr O'Shea has denied that Amy used his car and insisted he reported it missing to a police translator after realising that it was gone two days after the teenager had disappeared.

The 34-year-old has also denied any involvement in Amy's disappearance.

Police have confirmed they detained him last week on an outstanding arrest warrant relating to a traffic offence -- not over Amy's disappearance.

The missing teenager was last seen at 10pm on New Year's Day as she left friend Ashley Rubio Rose's house to walk back to her own home 15 minutes away in the Costa del Sol resort of Riviera del Sol.

She had been off school for more than a year after being bullied -- and had confided in close friends that she felt unhappy in Spain and yearned for a return to Ireland.

Audrey (39) announced earlier this week she intends to travel around Spain to publicise her daughter's disappearance.

She plans to go to several major cities, including Madrid and Alicante, to put up posters with Amy's picture.

Gibraltar

She also wants to visit Gibraltar, which is an hour's drive from her home. Dean (17) and Mr Mahon (36), who is also from Dublin, are expected to accompany her.

"Amy is still a kid. She is only 15 and has disappeared," Audrey said.

"We plan to take our leaflets and posters to as many towns as possible, just in case she has been taken somewhere or has run away.

"It's more worrying than ever now, because I know Amy, and I know she would have called just to say she is safe."

- Edel Kennedy and Gerard Couzens

Hundreds gather to pray for safe return of Amy

Services held in Dublin and Spain to support missing teen’s family
 

By Breda Heffernan

Monday February 04 2008

Hundreds of people gathered to pray for the safe return of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick at simultaneous events in Ireland and Spain last night.
More than 300 people, including mem-bers of Amy's family living in Ireland, attended a Mass at the family's local church in Coolock, Dublin 5, where a candle was lit for her.

Meanwhile, almost a thousand miles away in the town of Mijas in southern Spain, her mother Audrey led a candlelit vigil to mark more than a month since the 15-year-old's disappearance.

Scores of Amy's friends flocked to St Brendan's Church to support the Fitzpatrick family, where prayers were said for her speedy return.

Speaking at the Mass, parish priest Fr Kieran Butler said: "We welcome everyone who has come here to pray for Amy. We ask you to help the Fitzpatrick family in this sad time.

"At this very time in Mijas, in Spain, people are also praying for Amy. We ask that she has a safe return to her family," he added.

At the event in Spain, an emotional Audrey Fitzpatrick (39) was supported by her partner Dave Mahon (36) and a crowd of over 100 ex-pats and locals. Too overcome to speak, she broke down in tears, leaving Mr Mahon to thank everyone for their prayers on her behalf.

The vigil, which was organised by officials from the local town hall, was addressed by members of the Catholic clergy as well as Evangelical and Baptist Churches.

Emotional

A friend of the family in Spain, Franco Rey, described it as an emotional gathering.

"People arrived and lit candles. After that, a couple of priests said a few words and Amy's mum and stepdad came up on stage. Her mum was too upset to talk so Dave thanked everyone for coming."

He added that Amy's brother Dean (17), who has been deeply affected by his sister's disappearance, was too distressed to attend.

Mr Rey added that the family was upset to hear erroneous press reports that the Spanish authorities had begun a series of digs in a stretch of land where the teenager was last seen in the Costa del Sol.

"Stories that they are digging in a field are poppycock, absolute rubbish," he said.

He said the investigation by the Guardia Civil is continuing and that Ms Fitzpatrick has received no new information from them. He also renewed the family's appeal for anyone who might have seen Amy in Spain or elsewhere to contact the authorities.

The teenager vanished on the evening of New Year's Day as she walked home from a friend's house.

Despite a high-profile publicity campaign, there have still been no confirmed sightings of Amy.

Investigators are becoming increasingly convinced Amy has disappeared voluntarily, rather than being abducted. The teenager had been off school for more than a year after being bullied and had confided in friends that she was unhappy in Spain and wanted to return to Ireland.

Police are also still searching for a white Ford Fiesta belonging to Richie O'Shea, a friend of the family, who was taken in for questioning. Detectives believe this car, which has the number plate C955 SLK, could be crucial to their investigation.

Amy is reported to have driven the car on several occasions after opening it with a screwdriver.

However, Mr O'Shea (34) has denied that she used the car in the past and insists he reported it missing to a police translator after realising it was gone two days after the teenager had disappeared.

- Breda Heffernan

Sad 16th as family plans party for missing Amy

By Edel Kennedy

Wednesday February 06 2008

THE family of missing Amy Fitzpatrick are holding a 16th birthday party in her honour tomorrow.

The teenager, who has been missing since New Years Day, turns 16 tomorrow and her brother Dean (17) has helped to organise a party for her friends.

Last night, her stepdad Dave Mahon said they are holding the get-together in a local bar at 7pm tomorrow evening.

Balloons featuring Amy's face will be released outside the bar.

"There have been no new leads at all," said Dave.

"It's getting harder as the days go by. It's been a month and several days now since she was last seen."

The teenager vanished after leaving her friend's house near Fuengirola in Spain at 10pm on New Years Day. She set out on the 20 minute walk to her own house but has not been seen since.

There have been no positive sightings of the teenager since she went missing. There had been reported sightings of Amy in Wexford but these have been ruled out by gardai.

Mum Audrey, her partner Dave, and Amy's brother Dean have all been interviewed by the Spanish police in an attempt to build a picture of Amy.

Meanwhile, Amy's friends have been placing messages on her Bebo website asking her to come home.

Some have posted their phone numbers and pleaded with her to call to let them know she is safe.

- Edel Kennedy

Amy Fitzpatrick,

missing from Mijas,

is 16 years old today
 Feb 7, 2008

There are meanwhile reports that the teenager's mother, Audrey, has been questioned about an alleged assault after

reportedly refusing to turn down her daughter's favourite song

Today is Amy Fitzpatrick’s sixteenth birthday, and her friends are meeting at a bar in a shopping centre in

Calahonda this evening to mark the event, despite the fact that Amy herself will not be there with them.

 The Irish teenager disappeared from Mijas on the night of New Year’s Day as she was walking from the

Calypso area back to her home on the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation.

There has been no trace of her since then.

Franco Rey, spokesman for the Fitzpatrick family, said in a statement that Amy’s best friend has said the gathering will not be a party,

but they want ‘mark the day, so that she knows that we miss her and love her.’ She added, ‘if she went of her own will and doesn’t want to

come back, that’s fine, but please either call her family or one of her many friends to let us know that she’s alright.

She knows that we love her and we miss her.’

There’s meanwhile news from the press in Ireland that Amy’s mother, Audrey, was questioned by police on Wednesday over an alleged assault last Friday.

 A neighbour is understood to have reported Audrey Fitzpatrick to police, and the Irish Independent said it relates to a row over loud music,

 during which the neighbour was allegedly struck by Mrs Fitzpatrick,

 who they say told the person who complained that the song was one of her daughter’s favourites.

Franco Rey confirmed that Audrey has been to the police station to answer the complaint and that she has made an official statement.

As the Civil Guard continue their investigations in the case, Mrs Fitzpatrick’s partner, Dave Mahon, has been in Tangiers,

across the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco, handing out photos and posters of the missing teenager.

The family has previously done the same on the Costa Blanca.

The contact numbers for any information on Amy’s whereabouts are 112, 062, 686 044 181 and 952 474 030.

Cash reward for missing Amy

Monday February 18 2008

The parents of missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick are offering a cash award for information on her whereabouts.

The 16-year-old - who's originally from Dublin - disappeared near her family home in Spain on New Year's Day.

Her step-father has announced that he will pay a 'substantial' amount of money to anyone who can help in the search for Amy.

Police hunt second car in Amy search

Wednesday April 02 2008

Amy mum's agony at seeing partner arrested

DISTRESS: Audrey horrified as police handcuffed Dave

APPEALS: Missing Amy Fitzpatrick and Dave Mahon

Frank McGrath/Evening Herald

Missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick.

Fears Grow For Missing Irish Teenager

12:00pm UK, Monday April 07, 2008

John Kelly

Fears are growing for the safety of an Irish teenager

 who has been missing in Spain since New Year's Day.

Amy Fitzpatrick, originally from Dublin, was last seen leaving a house in Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol where she had been babysitting for a friend's mother.

A search involving helicopters and sniffer dogs has been launched but so far there has been no sign of the 15-year-old.

Spanish police say a bag of clothes found in the area did not belong to Amy.

Her mother, Audrey, has issued an appeal for help in finding her daughter, fearing she has been taken against her will.

The Fitzpatrick family have also distributed photographs and a description of her.

Amy was wearing a black mini-skirt and black top when she disappeared.

She is not thought to have been carrying her passport, mobile phone or any money.

The local Guardia Civil have appealed for volunteers to help widen the search on Wednesday morning.

Amy moved to the Costa del Sol with her family almost four years ago. She lives with her 39-year-old mother, a brother and her 36-year-old step-father Dave Mahon.

Amy's natural father Christopher still lives in Dublin. He hasalso issued a statement appealing for anyone who may be holding Amy to let her go.

Brother's Appeal For Missing Amy Fitzpatrick In Spain

12:00pm UK, Monday April 07, 2008

John Kelly, Dublin

The brother of an Irish teenager

 missing in Spain has

 made an emotional appeal

 for her safe return.

Amy Fitzpatrick disappeared in Mijas, near Fuengirola, in the Costa del Sol, where she was living with her mother, brother and her mother's partner, on New Year's Day.

The Guardia Civil co-ordinated more than 200 local and national police officers and members of the emergency services in a two-day search operation last week, which found no trace of the 15-year-old.

Amy's mother and her father, who still lives in her native Dublin, have already issued appeals for the safe return of their daughter.

Now, Amy's 17-year-old brother Dean has released an emotional, hand-written letter appealing for his sister to come home.

Dean's letter reads: "Hi Amy, I don't know if you will see this, but I hope so. Nobody knows what's happened to you, and everyone's really scared because its two weeks now and we haven't heard anything from you.

"We really miss you and are all worried sick. Mam is crying all the time and the house is just empty without you and all your noise.

"I miss you a lot, I even miss you stealing my CDs and pinching roast potatoes off my plate at dinner.

"Please, please come home Amy. I don't know if you ran away, but if you have just give us a text or something to say you're alright.

"Maybe you are scared because of all the fuss it's caused, but that doesn't matter. We just want you back in the house.

"Also, if you're in some place where you can't come home or even get in touch, then don't be scared.

"The police are out looking for you with dogs and helicopters, and I'm sure they'll find you and bring you back.

"We're all praying, the papers are even saying they're praying for you in Ireland. Don't worry, it will soon be over.

"Hope you get this message. Love you loads, Dean xxx

"Big hug sis."

Search for missing Amy widens

By Breda Heffernan

Saturday May 03 2008

AN international appeal will be made to help find missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick who vanished without a trace from her home in Spain four months ago.

Her disappearance will be featured on the BBC 1 programme 'Missing Live' on Monday next and will reach millions of Britons living in Spain as well as in the UK.

Her devastated mother Audrey and stepfather Dave Mahon are hoping that British tourists travelling to southern Spain this summer will see the programme and keep an eye out for the missing teenager.

There is also a strong British ex-pat community in the region Amy disappeared from and it is hoped the appeal will help jog their memories.

Amy vanished as she walked home from a friend's house in the resort of Mijas on New Year's Day. She was 15 years old at the time and her family held a poignant party to mark her 16th birthday in February.

Despite offers of a substantial reward, nobody has come forward with information on her whereabouts.

Struggled

Speaking from Mijas yesterday, family spokesman, Franco Rey, said Audrey, Dave and Amy's brother, 17-year-old Dean, have struggled through the past four months and are hoping the BBC programme will finally help trace her.

"A lot of people watch the BBC here so it will reach more people than we have before now and also the tourists coming over for the summer, we hope they will see it too.

"We just hope somebody will see her and remember her from the programme," he added.

The BBC's 'Missing Live' series reveals the true-life drama of missing-persons investigations as they unfold.

The series is being broadcast each weekday at 9am for four weeks and follows the work of the police and British charity Missing People.

The programme uses filmed reconstructions alongside interviews with family and friends. It also looks at ground-breaking technology and techniques used to help find those who have vanished, from age-progression computer programmes to behavioural- recognition cameras.

- Breda Heffernan

Missing teen Amy's mother in TV appeal

Saturday May 17 2008

Patricia McDonagh

THE mother of missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick last night made a fresh appeal for information on her daughter's whereabouts.

In a tearful plea during an interview with 'the Late Late Show' presenter Pat Kenny, Audrey Fitzpatrick said she hoped anyone with information would get in touch.

There has been no sign of the 15-year-old since she vanished from her home in Spain more than four months ago.

Ms Fitzpatrick said Amy wanted to move back to Ireland from Spain, but refuted claims the Dublin-born teenager was unhappy.

"She was in great form. She was planning with her friend her 16th birthday," she said.

Ms Fitzpatrick's boyfriend Dave Mahon revealed how the couple got hoax calls in the wake of Amy's disappearance.

"One said, 'this is Amy, please put free credit on my phone'. People looking for free credit."

Fresh plea for help to find Amy

By Alan O'Keeffe

Tuesday June 03 2008

AMY Fitzpatrick's mum is to return to Ireland in a fortnight's time to make a fresh appeal for information on her missing daughter's whereabouts.

Audrey Fitzpatrick (40), plans to to fly to Dublin on June 17, with partner Dave Mahon (37), to ensure the teenager is in peoples' hearts and minds in the run-up to the holiday season.

They have already arranged to appear on TV3's morning show Ireland AM and the Marian Finucane Show on RTE Radio 1.

They will also use the trip to talk to son Dean about whether he wants to return to Spain or remain in Ireland.

The 18-year-old moved back to Dublin last month to live with dad Christopher (43), after suffering burn-out in the hunt for his missing sister.

Housewife Audrey said: "We're conscious the peak holiday season is coming up and we want to make sure Amy's face and story is out there when people in Ireland are preparing to pack their bags and head out to the Costa del Sol for their summer break.

"We'll spend a few days in Ireland and want to do as much publicity as we can.

"We'll also be seeing Dean and talking about his future with him. He hasn't made up his mind yet whether he wants to stay in Ireland or return to Spain.

"Our house in Spain feels empty without him and Amy around but we'll respect whatever he feels is best for him. He's put an awful lot of work into the hunt for Amy."

Audrey and her partner will also use the trip to Ireland to meet Clarence Mitchell, the PR expert hired by Gerry and Kate McCann to publicise their daughter Madeleine's disappearance.

- Alan O'Keeffe

Amy's pals are quizzed in bid to find new lead

By Conor Feehan

Saturday June 07 2008

SPANISH police have questioned friends of missing Irish teen Amy Fitzpatrick in the hope of finding fresh details that will solve the mystery of the Dublin girl's disappearance on New Year's Day.

Family spokesman Franco Rey said the interviews took place as police on the Costa del Sol searched for new leads in the investigation into how Amy (15) vanished.

Mr Rey has worked closely with Amy's mother, Audrey, and stepfather, Dave Mahon, since Amy went missing, but his role as spokesman has come under the spotlight since the appointment of PR agent Clarence Mitchell, who represents the parents of missing British toddler Maddie McCann.

advice

Mr Mitchell said his priority was to make sure that Amy's face would be known to the massive British public who travel to the Costas every summer.

"While the Amy Fitzpatrick campaign has been very public in Spain and Ireland it hasn't really taken off in the same way elsewhere as Madeleine's has," he said.

"I told the family I was more than happy to help them or advise them if they wanted, and I've spoken with Audrey in Spain," he added.

"We've agreed that I'll meet the family when they're next in Ireland," Mr Mitchell explained.

"We will sit down and go through things in some detail and if I can use my contacts or some of what I've been doing for Maddie to help find Amy then I will do that," he added.

Mr Rey responded to Mr Mitchell's involvement by saying that anything that helped find Amy, who grew up in the Dublin suburb of Coolock, would be "most welcome".

Cousin's song can help Amy hunt

By Alan O'Keeffe

Friday June 27 2008

A COUSIN of teenager Amy Fitzpatrick is seeking to re-release a song she believes will help the search for the missing Irish girl.

Beverley O'Sullivan co-wrote the song 'Rainbow' which is being adapted to portray the heartbreak of loved ones of the vanished teenager.

Amy was 15 when she disappeared while walking to her home on the Costa del Sol in Spain on the night of January 1.

"Amy is a gorgeous girl. A great kid. She really is," said Beverley.

Beverley had a close relationship with her younger cousin when Amy was growing up in Clare Hall in Dublin before Amy went to live in Spain with her mother.

Beverley hopes that her song will help keep the search alive in people's minds and also raise funds to continue the campaign to find Amy and other missing youngsters.

Beverley (27) co-wrote the song with producers Billy Farrow and Ed O'Leary when she was a singer with the band Fifth Avenue and it appeared on an album made by the band.

"The song was one of Amy's favourite songs. The lyrics now seem to capture exactly what her mother Audrey and her loved ones are feeling right now. They are so sad," she told the Herald.

The song has been adapted for a new release. The beat and the backing vocals have been removed and the adding of strings makes the song even more poignant and beautiful, she said.

She hopes the campaign to promote the song, including the CD cover and promotion posters, will help keep Amy in the minds and hearts of as many people as possible and to keep her search in the spotlight

"Amy was a mini-me in some ways because she was always singing and dancing. She was so excited when I started up in a band. She loved playing 'Rainbow,'" said Beverley.

- Alan O'Keeffe

Friday June 20 2008

The mother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick had a "very encouraging" meeting in Dublin with the spokesman for the parents of Madeleine McCann.

Audrey Fitzpatrick (40) and her partner Dave Mahon met with former BBC reporter Clarence Mitchell at the Westbury Hotel to seek new ways of raising awareness about the search for Amy.

Clarence Mitchell works full-time as spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann whose little daughter Madeleine was abducted from their holiday apartment in Spain.

Dubliner Amy Fitzpatrick disappeared in Spain on the night of January 1 last while walking to her home in Calahonda from a friend's house on the Costa del Sol.

"We had a very encouraging meeting with Clarence. He flew into Dublin just to meet us and flew back to England a few hours later," Audrey told the Herald today.

"When Clarence appeared on the Late Late Show a while ago, a lot of people were telling him about Amy so he left his number for us to contact him," said Audrey.

"He offered to come over to meet us. It was very good meeting him. He has offered us real help in getting Amy into the British media," she said.

"He was confident he will be able to get Amy's story on the BBC and on Sky and on GMTV too," she said.

"He is doing this just because he wants to help find Amy. We're very grateful to him. We have been trying for a long time to get the British media interested in the search for Amy," she added.

Audrey and her family have been anxious to alert the 200,000 British people living on the Costa del Sol about Amy's disappearance. The British ex-pats mainly use British television channels and British newspapers.

Audrey and her partner are in Dublin for a few days before they return to their home in Spain.

I'll Hunt Amy in Portugal The Irish Sun August 16th 2008

Missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick's Mum is going to Portugal to follow up a sighting that has given her "fresh hope"

Irish Businessman Frank Johnston 55, said he saw a girl similar to vanished 16 year old Amy sitting in a Cafe with a tall and slim young man.
The possible sighting was made seven weeks after the youngster disappeared on New Years Day form her home in Mijas Spain an Audrey 40 will travel to the spot in Caldas De Rainha next week.
Yesterday she revealed "we have had sightings before they amounted to nothing-but this sighting has given us fresh hope as he seemed fairly sure the girl looked like Amy.
"We hope there is some truth in this"
But the heartbroken mum, also fears there could be a darler side to the sighting. "it's a comfort to know she could be okay, but she may be with someone who is lying to her,telling her she cant come home.
"perhapse they are telling her the police will be after her"

Dubliner Audrey also believes that- because of her daughters age- it is possible she may think she is in love with the man.
She revealed "You know it's like when you're that age, Your easily led and you will listen to what an older man tells you, thinking you have feelings for them.

After the trip to Portugal, Audrey and her partner Dave Mahon 39(they put Steve) want to meet with the Taoiseach Brian Cowen to ask for assistance in the search.

Audrey said "We want his help. Amy is an Irish citizen , he may be able to advise us on how to work with the cops in Spain to find her.
Llynnott@the-sun.ie

Despair of Amy's mum at Bebo hoaxes
CRUEL: Sick texts and messages seeking money
Evening Herald Dublin Ireland
By Caroline Crawford

Monday August 18 2008

The mother of missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick has hit out at cruel hoaxers who have contacted her pretending to be her daughter.

Audrey Fitzpatrick dismissed a recent Bebo message supposedly from Amy, insisting that her daughter would never refer to her as Mum.

The message had read: "(Hi) mum n dad i am fine so stop worrying."

However, Audrey is adamant that it did not come from her daughter, and she revealed that callous hoaxers have contacted her in the past in a bid to obtain money.

"She wouldn't call me mum, she calls me something else. If I get a message with that name then I'll know.

"There's been a few (hoax messages) like that. I've had texts on my phone saying, 'It's me, I've no money, could you put free credit on my phone'. Plenty of them got free credit with that one," said Audrey.

"There have been some on the Bebo site as well. But the first thing I notice is the wording, it's not her," added the mother of two.

"The first time something like that happened, I thought it was her. It was within the first week she was missing. But that actually turned out to be a friend who had logged onto Amy's Bebo to leave a message for her.

focused

"She had Amy's password so it looked like Amy was online. She apologised afterwards.

"But when it's hoax texts and messages, it is hurtful. But you have to put it against all the good comments you get. You have to take the bad with the good. We still get the texts and emails but we're much more focused now," she added.

Coolock girl Amy (15) went missing while walking to her Spanish home from a friend's house on the Costa del Sol on the night of New Year Day.

However, it is not just the hoax messages that the family have to deal with, they have also received cruel messages telling them Amy is dead.

"You spend a lot of time talking to people online and one person told me not to bother looking for her because she's dead already. I couldn't believe it, but people like that aren't worth even getting upset over," commented Audrey.

However, despite the sick messages Audrey added that the good wishes and prayers from strangers all around the world are helping her to cope since Amy's disappearance.

"It will be eight months on September 1 but it feels that much and longer."

Ms Fitzpatrick is back in Ireland this week visiting her older son Dean (17), who moved back to Ireland earlier this summer.

- Caroline Crawford

Taoiseach Brian Cowen met the mother of

missing Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick.

Audrey Fitzpatrick, and her partner, Dave Mahon, met Mr Cowen at Government Buildings for half an hour during which they updated him on the investigation

Taoiseach Brian Cowen met the mother of missing Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick The 16-year-old disappeared after leaving a friend's house at about 10pm on January 1st to walk to her home on the Costa del Sol in Spain.A spokesman for the Taoiseach said Mr Cowen offered the assistance of the Irish embassy in Madrid to help the couple deal with Spanish authorities in the search for Amy.Originally from Clarehall in north Dublin, Amy had been living with her mother in the Riviera del Sol tourist resort in Mijas for the past few years.Her family last month appealed for financial help to hire a private investigator. Her father, Christopher, also called on Spanish authorities to release CCTV footage from the track along which Amy is understood to have walked home.Her aunt, Christine Kenny, said Spanish authorities were still working on the case, but the family had not received any news since June. "We've done as much as we possibly can, but we simply don't have the manpower to search the entire area," she said.

Taoiseach vows to aid Amy search
 
Friday September 05 2008

THE mother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick met with Brian Cowen at Government Buildings yesterday.

Audrey Fitzpatrick and her partner Dave Mahon are hoping that the Taoiseach's intervention will help in the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the 16-year-old in Spain.

Mr Cowen met with the Dublin couple for about an hour to hear the latest developments in the case. The teen disappeared on New Year's Day in Riviera Del Sol on the Costa Del Sol as she was walking home from a friend's house.

The Taoiseach's office promised to contact the Irish embassy in Madrid to help in the investigation.

"At the end of the day, he's the pulse of Ireland and has more contacts than we have at home," Ms Fitzpatrick said, adding the couple would host a benefit in Spain next month to raise funds for their ongoing search.

THE IRISH SUN WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH 2008

A 10K PHONE BILL, NO FUNDS TO HIRE P.I BUT SEARCH GOES ON

The parents of missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick are facing financial problems after being hit with a 10k mobile phone bill.
Distraught mum Audrey Fitzpatrick and Stepdad Dave Mahon are being crippled by the cost of calls in Spain and Ireland but have vowed their search will go on.
And now pals have set up a fund and trust fund to help with the search for Amy before the family are completely BROKE.
Audrey 40 said “The bills are quite overwhelming at the moment, but no matter what we will never give up.
"Were not looking for money to help with the bills it’s thee things like Posters and travel and stuff where you always require help. All the little things add up"
"Ideally we would love to hire a private investigator, that would be brilliant, but at the moment we just can’t afford it."

The parents of Madeleine McCann spent more than 1 million on private investigators after their daughter vanished in Portugal.

But Audrey and Dave cannot afford that and are heading back to Spain from Dublin to continue the search themselves.
Audrey said "We don’t like being away in case she comes home and were not there"
Amy 16 vanished without a trace on new year’s day this year- and so far Spanish cops have drawn a blank in their hunt for clues.
She disappeared after leaving a friend’s house at about 10pm to walk to her home in Riviera del sol near the village of Mijas in Andalucía

Originally from Dublin Amy lived in the village with her mother, stepfather and Brother Dean. Her Father Christopher Fitzpatrick lives in Donaghmede Dublin.

Last week Audrey and David met with Taoiseach Brian Cowen while visiting Ireland and he vowed to do “all within his power" to help in the search.
The pair met Mr. Cowen for just under an hour at Government Buildings to ask for his help in finding the 16 year old.

But now Family and Friends have launched a fund and website www.missingamy.net  to raise awareness and Money for the struggling Family.
Pal Antoinette McLoughlin said "we are setting up a fund to help out Audrey and David as they are basically going broke trying to keep the campaign alive.”We are trying to highlight the pain and suffering they are going through and raise some money to assist them. "Their last phone bill cost them nearly 10k because of roaming charges and they are suffering from travelling between Ireland and Spain.

mark.may@the-sun.ie

Amy Fitzpatrick:

Still missing after ten months

• 30 Oct 2008 •

IRISH AMBASSADOR MEETS AMYS MOTHER

Suitcase body found in Spain 'isn't our Amy'

Amy's mum is dreading one year landmark

Wednesday December 31 2008

The mother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick said that she is dreading the first anniversary of the young girl's disappearance on New Year's Day.

Audrey Fitzpatrick (40) said that she had been too sad to celebrate Christmas as she now tries to renew her energy for the campaign to find her daughter who was 15 when she vanished on the Costa del Sol in Spain.

Amy's aunt, Christine Kenny, recently received a letter of encouragement from the Pope, which gave the family new strength to face the date.

And Christine and Amy's father Christopher have organised a special Mass at the Holy Trinity Church in Donaghmede tomorrow at 11am to mark the anniversary. Two pink balloons will be released for Amy and 50 blue and white balloons to symbolise their devotion to the Virgin Mary.

At the same moment, there will be a ceremony at noon in Calahonda in Spain where the Dublin teenager is believed to have gone missing.

Vanished

Amy vanished shortly after leaving a friend's house in Spain on the night of January 1, 2008. The girl began to walk to her home, which was less than two kilometres away, when she disappeared.

Audrey said she and her partner Dave Mahon were heartened by arrangements in Ireland and in Spain to mark the anniversary of Amy's mysterious disappearance.

"We'll just have to continue the search. We have to keep going," she told the Herald.

"I'm grateful to my family and everyone who have kept up their prayers for Amy's safe return. Prayer has helped a lot and has been essential for us to keep going and keep searching," said Audrey.

Amy's aunt Christine recently wrote to Pope Benedict in Rome asking for prayers for the family and was thrilled when she received a message of encouragement.

The letter was signed on behalf of the pope by a Mgr Gabrielle Cassia, and said that the Pope will pray for her and for God's blessings on her and Amy's family to give them "courage and peace".

Amy's brother Dean will join his father at the church for the ceremony.

- Alan O'Keeffe and Claire Murphy

New Year Appeal For Missing Amy

10:15am UK, Thursday January 01, 2009

A mother whose 15-year-old daughter

who has been missing for a year

 has stepped up her campaign to find her.

Amy Fitzpatrick disappeared in Mijas, near Fuengirola on Spain's Costa Del Sol, where she was living with her mother, brother and her mother's partner.

They had moved there from Ireland three years earlier.

Amy spent New Year's Eve 2007 babysitting at a friend's house, from where she phoned her mother Audrey at midnight to wish her a happy 2008.

It is thought she later headed home on a dirt track which she used as a shortcut.

An extensive search was launched by the Guardia Civil, with more than 200 local and national police involved in the operation.

Now, a year on, fresh posters have been circulated and English speaking radio channels are putting out appeals in a bid to uncover new information.

Audrey Fitzpatrick said: "The phone call was the last I heard from her. She said happy new year, I love you and I'll see you tomorrow."

"I think about her all the time. But you can't let yourself think what might have happened because if you do the thoughts that come into your head will drive you mad.

" If you have a death in the family eventually it gets easier. But every morning I wake up it's like a death everyday and that's what you have to live through. It doesn't get easier.

Amy, described as shy shy and quiet, left Dublin for Spain in 2004 with her mother after her parents split.

Her father Chris has also made pleas on the internet for information about the missing teenager.

"She's always happy, always smiling. She's a normal teenage girl and content with everything in her life. We have stay strong and positive for her," said Mrs Fitzpatrick.

Amy suspects sought

Mystery British man and woman are being investigated by family

EXCLUSIVE BY PAUL O CONNELL

THE parents of missing Amy Fitzpatrick have asked police to investigate two possible suspects.

The pair - a man and a woman - both in their 40s from England were close to the 15-year-old who disappeared on New Year’s Day.

The man mysteriously left the Costa del Sol not long after the disappearance.

“He is not currently in England or Spain, but I have a pretty good idea where he is,” David Mahon told the Olive Press.

As the teenager’s sudden disappearance approaches a year, Amy’s stepfather revealed that te gave detectives information on the pair at a high level meeting last week.

After the meeting in Malaga, he said: “We originally had 12 people we were looking at, but we have now whittled it down to two.

“Both of them were close to Amy and both are English.”

He continued: “We have given police the information and we want them to check it out.

“These people are both suspicious, although one or both of them could be innocent.”

Both Mahon and his partner Audrey Fitzpatrick attended the high level meeting with Peter Gunning, the Irish ambassador in Spain.

Police have agreed to hold monthly meetings with the family and give progress reports.

Meanwhile a fundraising event at Pog’s Irish bar in Fuengirola raised 3000 euros for a fighting fund.

Denise Carroll, from Halpenny Bridge Bar in Benalmadena, who helped to organise the fundraiser, said: “It was a great night and thanks to all the 200 people who turned up. We’ll do all we can to help find Amy in the future.”

MUM TAKES HER AMY’S FINAL STEPS

AMY BLITZ WIDENS TO CANARIES

Mon Jan 05, 2009

Amy''s mam turns to missing kids' parents. Irish sun 19.1.08

Audrey joins forces to search holiday isle.

The mother of missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick has flown to gran canaria to meet the families of two children who disappeared on the sunshine island. Dubliner Audrey Fitzpatrick arranged the trip after deciding to join forces with the mums of other missing youngsters in an attempt to keep the spotlight on their plight.

She is due to meet Ithaisa Suarez who's  seven year old son Yeremi Vargas vanished near his home in the north of Gran Canaria two years ago this evening.

Afterwards the pair will head to the home of Nieves Hernandz, whose 14 year old daughter sara morales disappeared without a trace in the island capital Las Palmas on July 30th 2006.
Audrey 40 who left Ireland 6 years ago to move to the costa del sol said "All three of us share the same pain"

"all three disappearances are very strange and we are still lacking any real leads. our aim is to join forces and make sure the authorities keep. doing all they can to find our children".

Ithaisa Suarez, yeremi's mum said" I think it is good that as parents we support each other because we are the ones who know the real pain were going through. Sharing that suffering Is good for all of us."

Amy''s mum plans to stay on Gran Canaria for more than a week.

She intends putting up posters with pictures of her missing Daughter who vanished on New Years Day 2008 aged 15.

Amy' disappeared as she walked from a friends house in Riviera del Sol near Fuenguirola

3,000 internet friends of Amy sought by police 11th january 2009

Sat Jan 17, 2009

MISSING AMY

 Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:50 am

The mothers of Gran Canarias missing children, Sara Morales and Yeremi Vargas stood in solidarity with the mother of missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick. A press conference was held at the Vecindario market, hosted by the Councillor for Security in Santa Lucia, Luis Campos, and many locals came to take posters and stand in silence with the parents Missing Amy!


The parents of missing Amy travel to Gran Canaria to raise awareness of her disappearance
The family of Amy Fitzpatrick will have understood exactly how the parents of a young Gran Canarian girl felt earlier in the week when she went missing for several days.

Thankfully, it was a story with a happy end; a happy end that Amy’s mum, Audrey, is praying and waiting for. She’s travelled to Gran Canaria with Amy’s stepfather, Dave, to raise awareness of her daughter’s disappearance on January 1st 2008 from the Costa del Sol. Originally from Dublin, the family relocated to the mainland of Spain five years ago and although Amy’s accent sounded more English than Irish, she was capable of conversing well in Spanish, “and she never shut up talking!”

Rhianna fan Amy loves eating food, talking, swimming and singing; and spent many hours on her computer. “She had no reason to run away, she hadn’t used her phone or passport, she took no make up with her (which she wouldn’t leave behind), and she has not logged onto any of her internet accounts,” explains her mum who says that staying focused and drawing on her faith is helping her to get through each day. She has received a letter from Queen Elizabeth and Downing Street and has had an audience with the Irish Prime Minister three times.

Audrey and Dave, who are unable to work whilst they campaign to find their daughter, say it’s the support and prayers of everyone that helps them as each morning the nightmare realisation that she is not home is the first and constant thought throughout the day.

They have spoken highly of the tremendous support they have received from the Canarians and ex-pats and ran out of their 10,000 leaflets within two days; “a lovely Canarian Taxi driver came to the Casa Blanca hotel at 5 o’clock so that he could distribute the posters to the other drivers…the manager has been translating for us and the people on Gran Canaria have been so kind.” Steve from Rapid Print swiftly printed more posters and Dublin man Steve York, from the Harp, Puerto Rico, who has had many posters brought over from Ireland from his clients, displays them in his bar. “The parents are lovely people; they just keep going even though they are in a goldfish bowl. The put on a brave face and wont let anyone forget….it must be so difficult.”

Another Dubliner, Sinead from family run bar Molly Malone’s, explained that their resident band ‘Celtic Storm’ are printing Amy’s picture on the back of their CD’s and that Irish customers already know about Amy’s disappearance. “It is well publicised in Ireland so our clients are talking about her. It’s a most horrific situation for the parents…living grief. They are lovely people.”

Whilst police slowly search Amy Fitzpatricks’s 3000 contacts you can log onto the official www.missingamy.com website visit the BeBo, Face book or My Space pages.

Amy is 1.65m (5’4”) tall, has a small, slight frame and has piercing blue eyes. She is known to regularly change her hair colour.

No mother should have to be away from her child on their birthday; light a candle for Amy Fitzpatrick and her family on the 7th February. She will be seventeen years old. 00 34 617 561319.

If you have any information on a missing person call 112.

Amy mum's agony at seeing partner arrested

DISTRESS: Audrey horrified as police handcuffed Dave

APPEALS: Missing Amy Fitzpatrick and Dave Mahon

Frank McGrath/Evening Herald

Missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick.

Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:16 pm

The children who disappeared

Costa del Sol

Spain registers some 8,000 cases of missing minors per year, many of which are resolved quickly Spain registers some 8,000 cases of missing minors per year, many of which are resolved quickly
By Alfredo Bloy and Jennifer Leighfield
THE mother of missing Amy Fitzpatrick, the 15-year-old Irish girl who disappeared from Mijas-Costa on January 1, 2008, has joined forces with two other mothers from Gran Canaria, whose children, Yeremi Vargas and Sara Morales, are also missing.
Unfortunately, they’re not the only ones. Throughout Spain, police currently have 200 open files on children who have disappeared over the years. Spain registers some 8,000 cases of missing minors per year, but fortunately many are youngsters who, after an argument with their parents, run away from home for a few days and, when they return, their parents fail to withdraw the missing person’s report.
In many instances, it is a case of one of the parents having taken the child, as a result of a custody issue, and fleeing the country - a phenomenon which is rising due to the number of mixed marriages in Spain. In this week’s special report, the Euro Weekly News has included children, some of whom would now be adults, who have disappeared without a trace in cases where there was no custody battle.

Amy Fitzpatrick
Missing since:
January 1, 2008
From: Calypso Urbanization, Mijas Costa, Malaga
Age at time of disappearance: 15
Description: Was wearing brown tracksuit trousers,a dark top with a hood, and a t-shirt with the word ‘Diesel’ in different colours. False nails and belly button piercing. Thin, 1.65m tall, with straight, dark hair; big, blue eyes. Spoke to her friend at 10pm on January 1 and was last seen leaving the house where she had been babysitting to return to her home, 1.5km away.

Sara Morales
Missing since: July 30, 2006
From: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Age at time of disappearance: 14
Description: Was wearing a denim skirt and yellow strappy t-shirt, silver shoes and glasses with metallic frames. Long dark hair, brown eyes, 1.55m tall. Disappeared when walking from her home to the nearby ‘La Ballena’ shopping centre.

Yeremi José Suárez
Missing since: March 10, 2007
From: Santa Lucia de Tirajana (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria).
Age at time of disappearance: 6
Description: 1.25m tall, light brown hair and eyes. Last seen at 1.30pm playing with his two cousins on some wasteland near his home.

Talhaqui Zacharias Nadif
Missing since: August 20, 2006
From: The Melilla to Malaga ferry (Ciudad de Valencia)
Age at time of disappearance: 16
Description: 1.80m tall, 74kg, light brown, curly hair, dimple in right cheek when smiles, large mole on right arm. Speaks French and English. Very shy. Wearing black Adidas trousers, black and white striped Adidas t-shirt, black trainers, silver bracelet, necklace and ring. He disappeared from the ferry he was travelling on with his parents.

Josué Monge García
Missing since: April 10, 2006
From: Dos Hermanas, Sevilla
Age at time of disappearance: 13
Description: 1.60m tall, thin, light brown hair, green eyes, has an earring with a feather in one ear and a zirconium stud in the other, wearing a grey tracksuit, blue sweatshirt and red shoes. He was carrying a backpack with clothes and had 30 euros. Very shy. Last seen with a silver coloured BH bike when he left his house to visit a friend at 4.30pm. His father disappeared two weeks later and is a suspect in the case.

Juan Pablo Martínez Gómez
Missing since: June 25, 1986
From: Madrid
Age at time of disappearance: 10
Description: Black hair and eyes. Was travelling in a lorry with his parents when it was involved in an accident in Somosierra; they died and the boy disappeared. Witnesses claim to have seen him near a van. The driver and two women who were with him are suspected to have taken him.

Gloria Martínez Ruiz
Missing since: October 30, 1992
From: Alfaz del Pi, Alicante
Age at time of disappearance: 17
Description: 1.74m tall, light brown hair and eyes. Disappeared from Torres de San Luis Clinic where she was receiving treatment for depression.

M. Teresa Fernández Martín
Missing since: August 18, 2000
From: Motril, Granada
Age at time of disappearance: 18
Description: 1.70m tall, thin, long, blonde hair. Was wearing dark red trousers and a dark blue strappy t-shirt. Last seen by her father when he left her at a bus stop in Avenida de Andalucia. She was planning to join her friends for the local fiestas. Several witnesses place Robert Graham, a friend of Tony King (accused of the murders of Rocio Wanninkhof and Sonia Carabantes) in Motril in 2003 one day after being released from prison. 
 
Dolores & Isidro Orrit Pires
Missing since: September 5, 1988
From: Manresa, Barcelona 
Age at time of disappearance: 17 and 5 respectively
Description: Both have light brown and eyes. Both disappeared from the San Juan de Dios Hospital.

Álvaro de Andrés Díez
Missing since: May 7, 1993
From: Algorta, Vizcaya
Age at time of disappearance: 18
Description: 1.81m tall, light brown hair and eyes, strong complexion.

David Guerrero Guevara
Missing since: April 6, 1987
From: Malaga
Age at time of disappearance: 14
Description: Light brown hair and green eyes.  Left home to catch a bus to an art exhibition. Seemed nervous during the day of his disappearance. Many sightings have placed him in Portugal. He was known as “the painter boy”.

Cristina Bergua Vera
Missing since: March 10, 1997
From: Cornella de Llobregat, Barcelona
Age at time of disappearance: 17
Description: 1.60m tall, thin, light brown hair and eyes, has a beauty spot on the right side of her forehead. Wearing jeans and a black leather jacket. Last seen by her boyfriend, ten years older, when she went for a walk with some friends. He is a suspect. 

Please report any information regarding Yeremi, Sara or Amy, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, by calling 617 561 319. If you believe to have any information on any of the other missing persons, contact the Guardia Civil on 062.

Amy Fitzpatrick: correction

Costa del Sol

IN our ‘Missing Children’ article, we mistakenly reported that Amy, “spoke to her mother at 10pm on January 1.” This was a mistake. It should have read, “spoke to her friend, Ashley,” not her mother. IN our ‘Missing Children’ article, we mistakenly reported that Amy, “spoke to her mother at 10pm on January 1.” This was a mistake. It should have read, “spoke to her friend, Ashley,” not her mother.

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/2009022655029/news/costa-del-sol/amy-fitzpatrick-correction.html

TEARFUL AUDREY: MAYOR WON'T HELP US FIND AMY

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Experts examine body found in Spain

GERARD COUZENS

FORENSIC EXPERTS are examining charred remains discovered near to the spot where Irish schoolgirl Amy Fitzpatrick went missing in Spain over a year ago.

A local made the find on Sunday lunchtime as he was out walking near the Costa del Sol resort of Mijas. Police say they have yet to determine the gender and age of the victim.

A source for Malaga’s Civil Guard, which is investigating, said: “At the moment we’re not sure if the victim is a man or a woman, neither do we have any indication of their age.

“A team of forensic experts are working round the clock to try to come up with those answers. The body had been badly ravaged by fire, and all that remained were part of the torso and the skull.

“There’s nothing to indicate at this stage the body may be Amy Fitzpatrick’s and we’re not going to rule anything out until we’ve managed to establish an identity or at least the sex of the victim.

“But the area this body was discovered in was well searched when Amy went missing.”

The remains were found inside a sewage pipe near Mijas football stadium where a massive search for Amy took place shortly after she went missing on New Year’s Day 2008.

Amy’s mother Audrey said: “I am aware a body has been discovered and the search for Amy soon after she went missing was started from the football stadium.

“But I’ve spoken to the Guardia Civil and they’re telling me the body is that of a man.

“I’m confident it’s not Amy’s. For me nothing has changed. I’m still praying nothing bad’s happened to her and she’ll come home one day soon.”

Amy Fitzpatrick disappeared aged 15 as she walked home from a friend’s house where she had been babysitting the night before. She is thought to have taken a short cut along an unlit path to reach her home.

She vanished with just the clothes she was wearing and no passport or money.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

No help for Amy

April 16, 2009  

THE mother of missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick has criticised the Mijas mayor after he refused to help publicise her disappearance.

Audrey, 40, stormed out of a meeting with Antonio Sanchez in tears, after he told her the current financial downturn meant the council could not afford to help.

The mother, whose daughter went missing on New Year’s Day last year, told the Olive Press: “It’s disgraceful the way he has acted. All we wanted was for him to put some posters up in all the local bus stops, which the mayor has done for other missing children Yeremi Vargas and Sara Morales.

“We’ve lived in Spain for five years, we’ve bought a home here, Amy grew up here and this is where she disappeared from.

“This is the first time we have asked for help in the last 15 months of our living nightmare and we were shot down straight away.

“What chance do we have of finding Amy if the people who are in charge won’t even lend us a hand? Who do we ask now?

Audrey and boyfriend Dave Mahon were so angry they stormed out of the meeting after one minute.

The rejection came as a major shock after Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero insisted at Christmas that his country give full commitment to finding all of Spain’s missing children.

Their daughter had gone missing from a friend’s house in Calypso.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Police: Body not Amy Fitzpatrick’s
By Claire O’Sullivan

SPANISH police have dismissed reports that a body found in the area of the Costa Del Sol where Amy Fitzpatrick disappeared could be that of the missing Irish teenager.

Amy Fitzpatrick went missing on New Year’s Day 2008 when she left her friend’s house at the resort of Riviera Del Sol to walk home at about 10pm.

Amy was 15-years-old at the time of her disappearance.

Last night, a TV3 report broadcast that a body found in the area could be Amy’s and that her aunt, Christine Kenny, was awaiting DNA results.

However, the Guardia Civil last night threw cold water over this assertion and said that the body belonged to a man. Amy’s mother, Audrey, criticised Amy’s aunt for not contacting Spanish police first.

Amy has black hair, is 1.65m tall, and was wearing brown crushed velvet tracksuit bottoms and a black T-shirt with a multicoloured Diesel slogan when last seen. Amy is originally from Clarehall in Dublin.

Amy Fitzpatrick grandmother spoke of her anguish

at reports that a body found in Spain

might be her beloved grandaughter

Apr-19-09 9:17am

From:  costaconfidential.blogspot.com

Amy Fitzpatrick grandmother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick spoke of her anguish at reports that a body found in Spain might be her beloved grandaughter.Maura Donohoe (80) she suffered a "serious fright" when she saw a TV3 report about an unidentified body found near the town where the 15-year-old girl was last seen before she disappeared on January 1 last year."I got such a fright. I thought it could be Amy," said Maura, speaking at her home in Coolock in Dublin."But then I got a call from [Amy's mother] Audrey who told me the Spanish police told her it was a man's body." An intensive search of the region in the Costa del Sol at the beginning of 2008 failed to find any trace of the vanished Irish girl. Amy lived in Spain her mother, brother Dean, and Audrey's partner Dave Mahon.Maura added: "Audrey rang me immediately after the reports went out about the body. My stomach was going up and down. I got an awful fright and I couldn't settle down after it."I know if the Spanish police had found Amy's body they would have contacted the gardai who would have contacted us. But it was such a fright. Audrey spoke to Dean too to let him know it wasn't Amy's body. We will never give up hope for Amy. I've been getting loads of Masses said for her," she said."The Spanish newspapers reported it was the body of a man three days ago.Meanwhile, forensic experts continue to examine the body which was badly burned.A local person made the gruesome find on Sunday lunchtime as he was out walking near the Costa del Sol resort of Mijas.

Burnt remains are not my daughter, says Amy's mother

Relief as police say charred remains not Amy's

May 30, 2009 12:14 pm

€500,000 swindle
WE’VE GOT AMY
Cruel Crooks rang missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick’s Mumand told her “ Give us €500,000 and we’ll tell you where your daughter is.
A vile African gangster claimed the 15 year old who vanished 17 months ago was being held captive in Madrid.
Audrey said “ he is sick. I sat waiting with my phone in my hand and heart in my mouth only for him to say he would help- if I paid him the money.

AMY ‘RANSOM’

A RUTHLESS African gang made an offer to Amy Fitzpatrick’s Mam Audrey- We want half a Million Euro for your daughter.
A sick swindler told Audrey her Daughter is being held captive in Madrid in Spain.
The Dublin mother of two who lives on the Costa Del Sol where 15 year old Amy vanished 17 months ago – was stunned when a Man contacted her with a supposed tip off this week.
Audrey 41 hit out at the “ Sick B*****D who rang her at home- yet she still holds hope he might hold the key to Amy’s mystery disappearance.
She told the Irish Sun “ I received a phone call the other day from an African man asking was I the mother of Amy Fitzpatrick
“ He went on to say he knew where she was , she had been kidnapped and was in Madrid and the police were not to be involved.
“So I agreed of course. He then said he’d ring me back with a name and address in two hours.
“Five hours later after sitting with my phone in my hand and my heart in my mouth I got a text to say “ can you pay us €500,000? Yes or No – Send your answer now and we will send you the information you need.
“ After the text I fell apart. I’d been holding on for those five hours praying for news .
“ Two hours later he texted again saying he was still waiting on my answer.
Even if he has no news on Amy he is some suck b*****D

She added “ when he rang first I thought great A breakthrough at last, he said she is fine, safe and OK but had been kidnapped.
I’m almost certain it’s a con but there is a chance he has something. There is no proof yet. The phones used by the extortionist were unregistered, pre paid and not traceable.

Mum hires Maddie team in Amy ransom note scam

Frank McGrath/Evening Herald

Missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick.

Amy Fitzpatrick drinking coffee in a cafe in a petrol station

about 15 miles from her home in Spain,

a few days after she went missing on January 1

I’m NOT Amy!

June 28, 2009  

Amy Fitzpatrick

AN alleged sighting of Amy Fitzpatrick by Irish builder George O’Neill turns out to be a lookalike.

The revelations immediately prompted a response from our readers, however, it was not the good news we had hoped for.

Amy lookalike Alexandra Rose, 16, contacted us to reveal it was just a case of mistaken identity.

“The girl who you thought was Amy was, in fact, me,” she explained in an email.

“The police know this, as shortly after the Irishman phoned the Guardia and I got taken to Mijas police station to be questioned.”

LOOKALIKE ALEXANDRA ROSE

Message from Amy Fitzpatrick's mother

Costa del Sol

Email received by EWN Editorial Manager Jenni Leighfield

02 July 2009 15:39

Hi, i just read your article about the 3 murdered girls from Valencia (click here for the story) . It has me in tears as i sit in our office. I talk frequently with your other journalist, Alfredo Bloy, who has been very good to us. Amy Fitzpatrick, my daughter, went missing 18 mths ago yesterday and the thought of what happened to those poor girls maybe happening to her, makes me actually physically sick. We still hope and pray that she ran away but every day that hope is fading.

If you have a contact number or email forFernando Garcia would you tell him the girls will be included in my prayers that i say every night for Amy.

God bless,

Audrey Fitzpatrick, Amy's mam x

The disappearance of Amy Fitzpatrick

ON NEW YEAR’S DAY 2008, at 10pm, Amy Fitzpatrick said goodbye to her close friend Ashley Rose, with whom she had been babysitting Ashley’s brother at her friend’s house in Mijas Costa. Amy should have arrived at her home on the urbanisation Riviera del Sol in Mijas Costa, near Fuengirola, at about 10:10pm, as it was only a short walk away. But, she never arrived home and has not been heard from or seen since that night.
Amy, an Irish girl, was 15 at the time; she has black hair, blue eyes and a pale complexion. She is 1.65m tall.
At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing dark-coloured crushed velvet tracksuit bottoms and a black T-shirt with the word ‘Diesel’ on it in various different colours. She had no money, phone or passport (as she was still on her mother’s).
She turned 16 on February 7, 2008.
Following her disappearance, a massive search involving hundreds of people from many different departments was launched amidst a sea of speculation; that she may have left voluntarily, that she may have been abducted, that a white van might have been involved, that she may have sent an email to make contact, that she may have eloped with a man. All proved to be dead ends.
Now, 18 months after her disappearance, Amy’s case seems to have lost momentum, but not because of lack of trying on her family’s part.

Although the probability that she may have left voluntarily fades with each passing month, lack of any useful evidence keeps it a possibility, none the less. It may be the case that due to the amount of publicity involved, she is afraid to make contact.
When Audrey Fitzpatrick spoke to EWN in October last year she stressed every option is worth exploring, and through Euro Weekly News pleaded: “Amy if you are reading this, please get in touch with us or anyone else to let us know you are ok.” Audrey has not given up hope that new information will come to light, despite the time elapsed.

She calls on the public to provide information: “It could be residents in the area, it could be anyone who was on holiday there at the time, it could be anyone at all,” she said. “Please keep your ears and eyes open. Please send us any information you have no matter how insignificant it may seem,” she added. “There has to be one person somewhere who knows something” she insisted.
Ms Fitzpatrick finished the conversation with a disquieting thought: “No-one has been caught, which means they are still out there. If it happened once it can happen again,” she warned.

Please send any information to  0034 617 561 319 \n // --> missingamy@live.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.missingamy.net

Jul 02, 2009 6:11 pm

Amy Fitzpatrick - the full story so far

Costa del Sol

READ the full story of teenager Amy Fitzpatrick who went missing from her Costa del Sol neighbourhood in January 1, 2008. From charred remains scares to half million euro ransom demands, learn about the tireless efforts of a mother who just wants her daughter back.

Amy Fitzpatrick – charred remains, the media and campaigning

“It is getting harder to get Amy in the media,” Audrey Fitzpatrick, Amy’s mother

BY ALFREDO BLOY

On April 12, 2009 the charred remains were found by a local near a football field at the seaside resort La Cala de Mijas in the Costa del Sol. Police were unable to determine the sex and age of the victim as all they could recover was a skull and torso. The body had been set alight the night before with petrol, and the remains were still warm when they were discovered.

Initial speculation was that it might be the body of the Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick who has been missing since she left her friends home in the evening of January 1, 2008.

By April 16 Amy’s mother, Audrey Fitzpatrick confirmed she had been told it was unlikely it was Amy “The first time I heard about that a charred body of a person was found was when a concerned Irish journalist rang me to ask had I had heard about it,” Audrey says.

“He wasn’t ringing for a story but just to let me know that there was a rumour going around about it. We were only back from Cadiz and had heard nothing, but obviously thanked him and rang the translator for the Guardia Civil immediately.

Not two minutes went by and they rang us to say it definitely was not Amy!” she explains. “We were so relieved and so glad that they had got back to us so quickly! The only reason why they hadn’t rung us first was that they knew it was the body of a man, so no need to ring and upset us,” she adds.

On July 7 the news broke that the police had identified the burnt remains as being those of a missing alleged Irish drug dealer of 57 years of age.

The last time he had been seen alive was the day before the charred body was found. Although Audrey had been told it was not Amy, any lingering doubts that they might have been wrong have now been quashed.

The media

Since January this year, the Spanish media circus surrounding the disappearance of the Sevilla teenager Marta del Castillo has taken the limelight from other cases, making it harder for desperate mothers like Audrey to keep their missing children’s images burnt into our minds.

“It is getting harder to get Amy in the media,” Audrey laments “but we like to think we've made a lot of friends in the media, including yourself, here and in Ireland and everybody really tries their best to keep the campaign alive and keep her face out there as often as they can,” she says.

Once all avenues and angles have been covered, most papers either drop the story or try and uncover a “scandal” or “new evidence” often to the detriment of the families who have surely suffered enough. Which family has not got a skeleton or two in their closet? Which mother has not had an argument with her teenage daughter?

Campaigning

Nevertheless, Audrey remains upbeat and grateful for the support of the press and radio, “The media here in Spain have been great, except for one paper, who aren’t worth mentioning, but all locals know about and traders who binned their paper. We have the likes of Key magazine that has put her poster in for free every month.

Now the Sentinella magazine are going to follow suit, till she comes home as well as various other newspapers; including the Euro Weekly of course!” she says.

But without fundraisers, how can a family keep up the financial strain of campaigning. At which point should one try to return to some semblance of a normal life?

“Financially, we were not poor people 18 months ago, we worked and we saved and thank god we did or we wouldn’t have been able to campaign as long as we have and do so as long as it takes!

But for financial reasons and for our own sanity we have just gone back working full time in the last two weeks.

We opened up a real estate office in Calahonda called Mahon Estates, and yes it is business, but it’s also the HQ for Finding Amy Campaign, which we will do tirelessly, if it takes till the day we die.....”

Amy's dissapearance

ON NEW YEAR’S DAY 2008, at 10pm, Amy Fitzpatrick said goodbye to her close friend Ashley Rose, with whom she had been babysitting Ashley’s brother at her friend’s house in Mijas Costa.

Amy should have arrived at her home on the urbanisation Riviera del Sol in Mijas Costa, near Fuengirola, at about 10:10pm, as it was only a short walk away. But, she never arrived home and has not been heard from or seen since that night.

Amy, an Irish girl, was 15 at the time; she has black hair, blue eyes and a pale complexion. She is 1.65m tall.
At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing dark-coloured crushed velvet tracksuit bottoms and a black T-shirt with the word ‘Diesel’ on it in various different colours. She had no money, phone or passport (as she was still on her mother’s). She turned 17 on February 7, 2009.

Following her disappearance, a massive search involving hundreds of people from many different departments was launched amidst a sea of speculation; that she may have left voluntarily, that she may have been abducted, that a white van might have been involved, that she may have sent an email to make contact, that she may have eloped with a man. All proved to be dead ends.

Ten months after her disappearance, Amy’s case seemed to have lost momentum, but not because of lack of trying on her family’s part. “The whole case seems to have dried up,” her mother Audrey Fitzpatrick told the Euro Weekly News last October.  “We are currently trying to set up a meeting with all the relevant Spanish authorities to basically start the whole process again,” she added.

Although the probability that she may have left voluntarily fades with each passing month, lack of any useful evidence keeps it a possibility, none the less. It may be the case that due to the amount of publicity involved, she is afraid to make contact.

For Audrey Fitzpatrick every option is worth exploring, and through the Euro Weekly News pleaded: “Amy if you are reading this, please get in touch with us or anyone else to let us know you are ok.”

Audrey has not given up hope that new information will come to light, despite the time elapsed. She calls on the public to provide information: “It could be residents in the area, it could be anyone who was on holiday there at the time, it could be anyone at all,” she said.

“Please keep your ears and eyes open. Please send us any information you have no matter how insignificant it may seem,” she added. “There has to be one person somewhere who knows something” she insisted.

Ms Fitzpatrick finished the conversation with a disquieting thought: “No-one has been caught, which means they are still out there. If it happened once it can happen again,” she warned.

One year anniversary

On January 1 2009 Audrey told us what this meant to her, “The first anniversary, to me, is a milestone, but has also made me more determined to do even more things to find Amy in 2009, including meeting up with two sets of parents in Gran Canaria, in two weeks time, to combine a campaign to find our missing kids.”

Despite the lack of clues or any new information on her daughter, Audrey remains determined that Amy will eventually be found.

“I can’t say she'll be found in 2009 or 2010 or 2011. All I can say is she will be found and, if it takes till my dying day, then so be it.”

"one sick bastard" - 500,00 euro ransom demand

June 2009 - 17 months since Amy's disappearance

WHEN Audrey Fitzpatrick, the mother of Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick, who went missing 17 months ago on January 1, 2008, received a call from a man claiming he knew where Amy was, she thought all her prayers had been answered.

A week ago, Audrey received a call from a man with an African accent asking her if she was Amy’s mother. Kidnapped She explains in an exclusive to the EWN: “He went on to say he knew where she was. She had been kidnapped and was in Madrid and the police were not to be involved. So I agreed, of course,” says Audrey.

“He then said he’d ring me back with a name and address in two hours. Five hours later, after sitting with my phone in my hand and my heart in my mouth, I got a text to say, and I quote: ‘Can you pay us 500,000 euros. Yes or no send your ans now and will send you all the info you need.’

“The phone number on this text is 672 564 687. I’ll also give you the number he rang me on, too: 672 564 681,” she says.

Audrey commented that the Guardia Civil and her private investigators followed up on these numbers, but they are both pre-pay, and have never been registered. “But maybe one of your readers somewhere might recognise the numbers.” Audrey appeals.

Audrey Fitzpatrick has taken on private investigators who have been working on Amy’s case since last year. They are the same detectives the McCanns used, who are based in Barcelona and fly down to meet with them. They are following up on names that they think might be significant, mainly two English people.

“After the text, I fell apart. I’d being holding on for those five hours praying for news, and then even after that, two hours later, he texted again saying he was still waiting on my answer,” says Audrey.

“Even if he has no news on Amy, he is some sick bastard,” she ends.

If you have any information regarding Amy Fitzpatrick call +34 617 561 319 or email missingamy@live.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.missingamy.net

Missing Amy's mother to be evicted from home in Spain

Missing Amy Fitzpatrick - A mother's plea

Costa del Sol

My Daughter Amy Fitzpatrick is still missing.It is now over 19 months since she vanished without a trace and we need to find her.We have set up a new website with the hope that it will bring in some news on Amy.

My Daughter Amy Fitzpatrick is still missing.It is now over 19 months since she vanished without a trace and we need to find her.We have set up a new website with the hope that it will bring in some news on Amy.

The website address is http://www.missingamy.net. Please visit her site for all information on Amy’s disappearance.

We have uploaded some new pictures of Amy onto this site also.

The Lucie Blackman trust is assisting us with our search for Amy and they have set up a 24 hour hotline number for information on Amy’s disappearance and whereabouts these numbers are

In Spain:               +34 951 242 878

In UK:                    +44 2380 988899

Email hotbox:    amy@missingabroad.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Their website is http://www.lucieblackmantrust.org

Both the hotline and the site are monitored 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You can contact them in the strictest of confidentiality and you do not have to leave your name.

MY FEW HOURS OF HAPPINESS

We met up with Amy’s best friend Kim over the past few days. It was great meeting up with her as it is the closest we get to Amy.

Kim and Amy are so alike it was like sitting with Amy as they both have the same personalities.

She has a video of Amy singing one of the songs out of the lion king which she is sending to me once she returns to the UK. I will upload this onto her website once I receive it from Kim.

Ironically I had bought Amy a new cat and called her Nala after simba’s girlfriend in the lion king. This was one of Amy’s favourite movies to watch and she sang all of the songs out of it all the time.

We haven’t seen Kim for over a year and we were talking about things that she and Amy used to do before she went missing.

On one occasion Amy went through a phase of eating Ketchup sandwiches and Kim decided to see how far she would go eating some of the disgusting things she ate so she put Ketchup on top of an Ice-cream and she ate it.

When Amy used to stay in Kim’s house she (Kim) would wake up in the middle of the night as there would be a noise down in the kitchen. It was only Amy raiding the fridge again as she did nothing but eat no matter where she was. Be that at home, in her friend’s house or eating junk while she would be out. Amy loved her food. When I did dinner for us all when we were together I had to put stickers on the plates so she wouldn’t eat Dean’s dinner. It would be the same when we were all sitting down to dinner, Amy would be watching to see what is being left on anyone’s plates so she could have more.

While we were sitting there talking about Amy the singer that was on the night Amy went missing went by and I asked her did she know him of course she’s 17, she didn’t we're the old folks here. One of the songs he was singing that night was Sweet Home Alabama, the only difference is he would sing Sweet Home Calahonda and he still does at his gigs and dedicates it to Amy every time he sings it. Kim said it was their favourite song. I presumed they would not have heard of it and she had it on the phone to prove it to me, she told me how they used to SCREAM it, not sing it, walking along...

After leaving Kim I went home to my own house and I only got half way up the stairs after the high of seeing Kim I came down to earth big time and cried for the want of Amy. That was the end of my few hours of happiness and the reality came back. Amy still isn’t here with me where she should be.

We are desperate for information on Amy’s whereabouts and we are pleading with you to help us to find Amy. You can contact us in the following ways should you wish to help us in our search for Amy.

You can contact me directly at 0034 617 561 319 or missingamy@live.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you have any information at all that will lead to Amy being found. Please contact SPANISH POLICE at 0034 952 479 030

Amy’s official website is www.missingamy.net

Amy’s official bebo page is http://www.bebo.com/helpustofindamy we also have another bebo page for Amy which is http://www.bebo.com/missingirishgirl

Please download Amy’s poster from the following link and post it wherever you can. Amy could be in any country in the world at this stage so the more people that know about Amy the better chance we have of finding her.

https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=5cb00f62-33dc-454c-89d3-8b339d39df3f

Please help us with our search for Amy

Thank you

Audrey Fitzpatrick & Dave Mahon.

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/2009081462250/news/costa-del-sol/missing-amy-fitzpatrick-a-mothers-plea.html

Amy Fitzpatrick: 600 days and still missing

Costa del Sol

MIJAS COSTA - Her mother Audrey has not given up hope that she will find her teenage daughter. MONDAY August 24 marked 600 days since Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick disappeared on her way home from her friend’s house in Mijas Costa on January 1, 2008.  Despite many false alarms, a

MIJAS COSTA

Her mother Audrey has not given up hope that she will find her teenage daughter

MONDAY August 24 marked 600 days since Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick disappeared on her way home from her friend’s house in Mijas Costa on January 1, 2008.  Despite many false alarms, and a futile international effort to find out what happened to Amy, her mother Audrey still has faith that she will be found.  As is often the case with missing children, the parent’s fight to keep the campaigns to find their loved ones going gets harder and harder as time goes by and new stories take over editorial space in the media.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Amy Fitzpatrick please call 00 34 617 561 319 or email missingamy@live.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . website www.missingamy.net Please help the campaign to find Amy stay active.

Missing Amy Fitzpatrick: In her mother’s words

Costa del Sol

Billboards on the Costa del Sol help keep the search campaign alive

BY ALFREDO BLOY

ON NEW YEAR’S DAY 2008, at 10pm, Amy Fitzpatrick said goodbye to her close friend Ashley Rose, with whom she had been babysitting Ashley’s brother at her friend’s house in Mijas Costa.

Billboards on the Costa del Sol help keep the search campaign alive

BY ALFREDO BLOY

ON NEW YEAR’S DAY 2008, at 10pm, Amy Fitzpatrick said goodbye to her close friend Ashley Rose, with whom she had been babysitting Ashley’s brother at her friend’s house in Mijas Costa.

Amy should have arrived at her home on the urbanisation Riviera del Sol in Mijas Costa, near Fuengirola, at about 10:10pm, as it was only a short walk away. But, she never arrived home and has not been heard from or seen since that night.

Amy, an Irish girl, was 15 at the time; she has black hair, blue eyes and a pale complexion. She is 1.65m tall.

At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing dark-coloured crushed velvet tracksuit bottoms and a black T-shirt with the word ‘Diesel’ on it in various different colours. She had no money, phone or passport (as she was still on her mother’s). As the second anniversary of her disappearance approaches EWN caught up with Amy’s mother, Audrey.

Amy has been missing since January 1, 2008, have you had any clues or leads as to what may have happened to her?

Since Amy has been missing there have been numerous sightings and calls which the Guardia have followed but to no avail, unfortunately or maybe fortunately, no news is good news as they say.

What in your opinion, happened?

In my opinion as a mother I do no think she left of her own free will, I hope she did, that’s our biggest hope but Amy loved being around the people she loved, her family her friends, her brother and I’d find it very hard to believe she left willingly..

Coming up to the 2nd anniversary of her disappearance, you have managed to get billboards with her face on it. How did you manage that?

Dave, Amy’s step dad, has always been in the property business and through his contacts an Irish developer volunteered to use his billboards and foot the bill for the printers, which was great especially after the let down we had form town hall in Mijas Pueblo when we asked could they do it.

What difficulties have you found in trying to keep the search campaign alive?

I know it’s a terrible thing to say, but the biggest thing we are up against is running out of money. We had money in the bank, thank god, in the beginning and that’s what’s kept it so high profile but if we have to beg, steal or borrow we will.

How do you cope with the emotional, financial and physical stress you have endured?

Financially, and physically we can endure, but the emotional stress is what gets you most, I suppose because you have no control over it, your body and mind wants to sleep or cry or scream and it does overwhelm you some days.

At what point did it really dawn on you that Amy was truly missing and what went through your mind?

It took a long time before I registered Amy was gone and I mean months and months. My brother, when he came over to me form Ireland, said it all: ¨"this happens to other people" and he’s right people read about these things (even this article) and think oh my god that’s terrible and go on with their lives. But we live this every day along with all the other parents of missing kids.

If Amy is reading this what message would you have for her?

If she was to read this id want her know she is not in any trouble, I love and miss her every day. We have a new cat called Nala after Simba’s girlfriend from the movie the Lion King which she loved when she was little. And just call somebody honey, anybody and let them know you’re OK,  no matter where you are in the world reverse charges, we’ll pay, jump in a taxi we’ll pay, just call someone baby xx.

If you have any information regarding Amy Fitzpatrick call +34 617 561 319 or email missingamy@live.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.missingamy.net

WOW Factor 2008 Final

Costa del Sol

Before the show got under way, the song ‘Somebody’s Lost Princess’ was performed by the two girls, Georgia and Hollie aged 15 and 16, who wrote the song paying special tribute to the still-missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick. Amy’s mother, Audrey, told The Euro Weekly News: “It was an amazing start to

Before the show got under way, the song ‘Somebody’s Lost Princess’ was performed by the two girls, Georgia and Hollie aged 15 and 16, who wrote the song paying special tribute to the still-missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick. Amy’s mother, Audrey, told The Euro Weekly News: “It was an amazing start to the night, for these two kids to do this was so heart-warming and touching for us. It was very emotional as when they sang, behind them on a huge screen photos of Amy were being shown, There aren’t enough words I can say to thank them and to thank Maurice Boland for arranging this; it just boosts us and helps us feel a little bit more confident in the search for Amy, knowing there are people like that out there helping us.” To rapturous applause from the packed hall, the ten finalists individually sung their chosen songs in front of a large TV screen that, before each one, showed a brief video of them talking about how they too had been touched by tragedy in their lives (in the same vein as the X Factor). After the initial round, the panel of judges retired to the jury room to pick the best five to go through to the second round. During the second half, a very special performance took place when all ten finalists and the 15 runners-up, all dressed in white, performed a medley of songs from the hit musical ‘Mamma Mia’. Before the final five were announced, Hannah Murray, surprised Maurice by displaying photographs of him from when he was young, in a sneaky attempt at a practical joke. One which bounced right back at her as Maurice knew her plans all along and as she was stood on the stage he told her to look behind her as photos of her younger self were being shown on the big screen. Maurice laughs: “She thought she was setting me up but she had no idea I had been in touch with her parents two weeks before to get these photos of her. She nearly collapsed on stage!” The final five were announced, and they each performed their chosen songs. They were: Cath John, Geneva Lane, Natasha Rosandic, Jade Moxley and Isabel (Spain). Maurice’s son Daniel Boland, Paul Sedkowski and Judge Laura Krier (with her backing band) performed for the first time the song commissioned by Maurice to be recorded with Geneva Lane and sold via the internet (link at www.rem.fm) to raise funds for Cudeca. “It is important everyone logs on and buys it when it comes out. They will not only be supporting this important charity but also showing support for Geneva Lane,” stresses Boland. From the five came the final two: Geneva Lane and Natasha Ronsadic. Then, Geneva was overcome with tears of joy as she was pronounced winner of the 2008 WOW Factor, and the audience paid tribute to her with a standing ovation. A grateful Joan Hunt, OBE, Cudeca founder, told The Euro Weekly News: “It was a very exciting event both for the spectators and the finalists. The production and presentation were very professional, which was the result of great team work for many weeks ahead of the great night. Maurice Boland and his team of Cudeca volunteers, together with Steve Shappelle, the producer, had been planning everything for weeks, commencing with the semi-finals leading up to the grand final and the selection of the winner by the judges, supported by one vote by each member of the audience. The judges did a great job but, of course, as in all competitions, it is always sad that there have to be losers. I would have liked everyone to be a winner as they were all first class with lots of potential.” Maurice Boland feels proud of their achievement: “Overall, I felt absolutely delighted with the show. As it is the first one, some hiccups are to be expected. I salute producer Steve Shappelle who put together an amazing show. He did a production in three days what should have taken six weeks. I also want to thank the hugely successful businessman and WOW Factor sponsor, Bassim Haidar. Not forgetting all the contestants, the audience and all the people behind the scenes that made this possible. A big, big ‘thank you’ to them.” So, the question that is on everybody’s mind: Will there be another one next year? A question Maurice Boland is more than happy to answer: “Yes, there will be another one, this time it will be even bigger and better! We plan to have heats in Gibraltar, Mallorca, Benidorm and maybe even in the Algarve.” EVERY ROSE…As often happens following this sort of event, we have heard that since the final on Sunday, a few nasty comments have been posted online about the final two, in particular the winner. Maurice Boland is furious with them as he says: “It is distasteful that these remarks have been made. Not only was the winner fantastic but the whole event was to raise funds for charity.”DONATE To donate to Cudeca call the centre on (0034) 952 56 49 10 or log on to their website ww.cudeca.org NEXT UP… REM.fm Telethon in aid of Cudeca Cancer Care Hospice. Don’t forget REM.fm’s 2008 charity telethon is on December 12 to raise funds for Cudeca. Donated prizes are already appearing for auction at the website: www.remtelethon.es WOW Factor Comment: ‘Simply the Best’ Michel Euesden, EWN Media Group Publisher: “The evening was without doubt a stunning success. The calibre of the finalists would match any COPYCAT television production. The professionalism of the whole event was of the highest possible standard. “However, the greatest thrill for me was to see 500 expatriates supporting an event which is to raise money to save our hospice. The national newspapers of Great Britain are so quick to report the facts about the ‘Costa del Crime’ and its entire wrongdoings – but never do they report on the passion and energy we put into helping our fellow countrymen. Sunday night made me proud to call myself an expat – usually a turn of phrase I run away from. Everyone who supported this memorable event should give themselves a pat on the back – you are simply the best. “Finally, a special mention must go to the tireless charity fundraiser – Mr Maurice Boland – I simply do not know how he does it, but on behalf of everyone who has benefited from the monies he has raised over the years, thank God he does. Without doubt, he is the man with the WOW factor! Thank you, Maurice.”

TO LISTEN TO "SOMEBODY'S LOST PRINCESS PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwLrvfJVPsk

Attempted child snatching broad daylight on the Costa del Sol

Costa del Sol

ON Monday, November 23, at approximately 5.30pm, two young boys, aged 12, were sitting at the side of the road on their schoolbags having a drink of water in the Calahonda / Riviera del Sol area when a white transit van, with at least two male occupants, approached and parked near to them. Suddenly, two men jumped out of the van and tried to grab the boys. The boys panicked and ran off, and one of the youngsters managed to escape their reach, but the other was grabbed by the men. Luckily, the boys are both over 5ft tall and between them were able to fight the attackers off and escape.

The attempted snatching occurred close to where missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick was last seen two years ago

By JENNIFER LEIGHFIELD & ALFREDO BLOY

ON Monday, November 23, at approximately 5.30pm, two young boys, aged 12, were sitting at the side of the road on their schoolbags having a drink of water in the Calahonda / Riviera del Sol area when a white transit van, with at least two male occupants, approached and parked near to them. Suddenly, two men jumped out of the van and tried to grab the boys. The boys panicked and ran off, and one of the youngsters managed to escape their reach, but the other was grabbed by the men. Luckily, the boys are both over 5ft tall and between them were able to fight the attackers off and escape.

The men in the van quickly fled the scene, and the boys, one of them in a state of shock, called their families. The police were alerted, and told the boys’ parents that this had been the second attempted child snatching reported that day in the area. However, the mother of one the boys, tells us that the police haven’t been in touch since and they were also unavailable for comment to the Euro Weekly News. She would like to tell other parents in the area to beware and not let their children walk the area alone. Although the boys were understandably upset by the ordeal, after they had calmed down, they were able to say that the men spoke Spanish with a foreign accent and had dark complexions. They are also reported to have been wearing t-shirt and shorts or boxers.

A local businesswoman tells us that it was also around this time last year that a white van was reported to have been seen in the same area, and the occupants had attempted to snatch a young girl.

It is also in this area where Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick went missing on the evening of January 1, 2008 at approximately 10pm when she left her friends house in the tourist resort of Riviera del Sol to take the 10 minute walk home. She has not been seen since.

The EWN spoke to Audrey, Amy’s mother about this latest event. “I have said it before, whoever took Amy is still out there. If it can happen once it can happen again” she warns. “People read these stories in the newspapers and are shocked; but they get on with their normal lives. Nobody thinks it will happen to them. These things happen to normal families all over the world, not just in Spain; and it has happened before and it will happen again unfortunately,” she says.

Audrey advises parents to keep a close eye on their children, and suggests they go around in twos and threes; avoiding walking around after dark at all costs “I know you can’t keep an eye on them 24 hours a day, as much as you want to. I advise parents to be very careful and not to be trusting,” she adds.

If you have any information regarding Amy Fitzpatrick call +34 617 561 319 or email missingamy@live.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and if you witnessed anything regarding the attempted snatching this week, please contact the Guardia Civil on 062.

Abduction fears fail to disappear
December 9, 2009

TERRIFYINGLY, there have been four attempted teenage kidnappings over the past month. And that is just in Calahonda.

Fortunately, in each case the victims have managed to escape the clutches of their assailants in the nick of time.

However, the mental damage will long linger in the minds of the young victims and their distraught families.

Most frightening of all is the attempted abduction of 15-year-old Grace Preston. On a routine walk home from school, two men attempted to snatch her off the street.

It is a tribute to Grace’s quick-thinking and sheer bravery that she managed to flee and hide from these sick people.

For it doesn’t bear thinking about what may have happened.

It is almost, exactly two years since the disappearance of Irish teen Amy Fitzpatrick, and fears still persist regarding the safety of the Costa del Sol’s young, vulnerable youths.

And chillingly, it would seem, more than ever.

3,000 internet friends of Amy sought by police

Ali Bracken Crime Correspondent

Police in Spain are in the process of individually contacting 3,000 online acquaintances of missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick in a bid to find fresh clues as to her whereabouts, one year after she vanished.

Officers in Spain are also seeking court orders to check the phone and other records of some of Amy's online contacts that they have concerns about.

As the search for Amy intensifies ahead of her anniversary on January 1, her mother has issued a direct appeal to her daughter.

"We don't accept that she's dead at all. Our family are big on Christmas and so is Amy. We're hoping that if she's aware of how much we're all searching for her, this is the time of year she might pick up the phone and contact us if she can. This is a very difficult Christmas," her mother Audrey Fitzpatrick told the Sunday Tribune.

"Or if someone knows something, we hope they might get a guilty conscience and get in touch." Audrey didn't celebrate Christmas this year and returned to Ireland on St Stephen's Day to visit family.

Police in Malaga are handling the investigation and Audrey and her partner Dave Mahon have a monthly meeting with them in which they keep them up to speed on their investigation.

"At the moment, they're getting in touch with the 3,000 contacts Amy had online. She had 11 different personal networking sites and spent all her time on the computer. She loved to waffle and would talk to anyone who sent her a message on the computer. I wouldn't call these people friends of Amy's, just acquaintances. The meetings we have with them last two to three hours; we are very pleased with the investigation now," she added.

"When Amy first went missing, there was a communication breakdown between ourselves and the police, but now everything is sorted out and they're carrying out a very thorough investigation. It is a long process and there is a lot of red tape involved when the police are trying to get court orders."

Audrey and her partner have travelled all over mainland Europe looking for Amy and putting up posters and plan to travel to Gran Canaria next to continue their search.

Amy's father Christopher Fitzpatrick has also had a campaign to find his daughter and he has arranged a mass to be held on New Year's Day in Donaghmede at the Holy Trinity at noon.

Amy vanished on the evening of January 1 this year, when she left her friend's house in the tourist resort of Riviera Del Sol in Spain's Costa Del Sol, to walk the 15-minute journey home.

There have been no leads in the search for her.

December 28, 2008

Amy Fitzpatrick boost

Costa del Sol

AUDREY FITZPATRICK’S bid to keep the disappearance of her teenage daughter Amy in people’s minds has been boosted by a Spanish friend funding billboards in Calahonda and an advertising video screen with the ‘missing poster’ in Marbella. Amy, aged 15, went missing in January 2008 after leaving her friend’s Mijas Costa home.

AUDREY FITZPATRICK’S bid to keep the disappearance of her teenage daughter Amy in people’s minds has been boosted by a Spanish friend funding billboards in Calahonda and an advertising video screen with the ‘missing poster’ in Marbella. Amy, aged 15, went missing in January 2008 after leaving her friend’s Mijas Costa home.

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/2010041576912/news/costa-del-sol/amy-fitzpatrick-boost.html

Prayers offered for teen Amy's safe return

€1m reward to find Amy

Friends put up money to help couple locate their daughter

Why we're offering €1m for our Amy

Cowen has abandoned us, claims missing girl's mum

Thieves take vital papers in hunt for missing Amy

Amy’s mum blasts searching Irish TV interview

June 17, 2010  

THE mother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick has slammed a national TV interview which questioned her daughter’s lifestyle.

Despite admitting her daughter was not “an angel” Audrey Fitzpatrick insisted she “didn’t drink or take drugs”.

Private investigator Liam Brady and Amy’s auntie Christine Kenny appeared on The Morning Show in Ireland.

And Brady vented his fears over the teenager’s lifestyle and told of the warning letter sent by a concerned neighbour which was ignored by officials.

“Amy’s life was pretty horrendous,” said Brady. “If this letter of concern had been acted on, Amy would still be here.”

Brady also criticised the Spanish authorities for “not interrogating people properly” and not interviewing crucial suspects.

However, mother Audrey defended her daughter’s lifestyle and also rounded on Brady.

“They are trying to insinuate things about Amy by talking about drugs and blackening her image,” she explained.

“Liam Brady has had nothing to do with us from day one, I have always said I welcome his help but he has never come to Spain.”