On the 40th anniversary of IRA victim Terence McKeever's murder, his sister Karen McAnerney continues to seek justice for a killing that remains unprosecuted. McKeever, a 30-year-old businessman from Killylea in County Armagh, was abducted, tortured and shot dead on 16 June 1986. His body was left on Mullaghduff Bridge, Cullyhanna, close to the Irish border.

The IRA said it carried out the murder because McKeever's electrical contracting firm had undertaken work for security force bases across Northern Ireland. His family has always maintained that no direct threats were made against him and that his father, not McKeever, handled those contracts.

McAnerney has campaigned for years, pointing to the loss of forensic evidence from investigations on both sides of the border. Garda Superintendent James O'Leary, who leads the current investigation, confirmed that exhibits taken from a stolen van used in the abduction went missing from Dundalk Garda station. Despite extensive searches of stations in Louth and Meath and interviews with retired officers, the items have not been recovered. Some exhibits held by the former RUC in the North are also unaccounted for.

O'Leary said one item currently at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Dublin could potentially yield a DNA profile, though testing is delayed due to a backlog of higher-priority cases. He acknowledged that prospects of a prosecution are slim but noted the existence of unidentified fingerprints. He appealed for anyone with information to contact the Gardaí.

The original RUC investigation identified four suspects, but their fingerprints did not match those found in McKeever's car. The murder weapon, a Colt .223 ArmaLite rifle, was linked to numerous other attacks before being discovered hidden in a wall near Crossmaglen in 1990.

McKeever's funeral drew condemnation from Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, who called the killing "murder, pure and simple". The family business, which had employed almost 200 people at its height, ceased operations soon after the murder, partly because employees feared further IRA violence.

McAnerney recalled that when she visited the bridge on the 30th anniversary to lay flowers, she was silently watched by men in two cars that pulled up on either side of the bridge. She believes some of those responsible for her brother's death remain alive.

The Historical Enquiries Team, which reviewed the case between 2006 and 2013, found that even if missing evidence were recovered, its admissibility would be questionable unless a secure chain of custody could be demonstrated. Intelligence had linked several IRA members to the killing, including Jim Lynagh, who was shot dead by the British Army at Loughgall in 1987.

No person has ever been charged in connection with the murder. On this four-decade anniversary, the family's quest for accountability remains unresolved.