Kathleen Arkinson intends to visit Bundoran beach and release yellow roses into the sea in memory of her sister Arlene, 32 years after the 15-year-old vanished from the County Donegal town.

Arlene Arkinson, from Castlederg, County Tyrone, disappeared on 14 August 1994 after a night out. She was last seen in the company of Robert Howard, a convicted sex offender from Castlederg. Howard died in an English prison in 2015, aged 71, and never disclosed where her remains could be found.

A 2021 inquest concluded that Howard was responsible for Arlene's murder. At the time of her disappearance, he was on bail for an alleged sex offence and had broken a curfew to drive the teenager to a disco. Earlier in 1994 he had been charged with sexually assaulting another teenage girl in Castlederg. In 2001 he was convicted of the rape and murder of 14-year-old Hannah Williams in London.

The visit is the first time Kathleen Arkinson has returned to Bundoran since her sister went missing. She will be accompanied by her son. The rest of her immediate family is either unwell or abroad.

Gardaí, the Irish police service, conducted searches in 2024 in the Glenfin and Castlefin areas of Donegal as part of efforts to locate the remains. No trace of Arlene Arkinson has been found.

Kathleen Arkinson has renewed an appeal for information. She stated she believes that associates of Robert Howard know the specific burial site and that the remains are likely in Northern Ireland. She described the ongoing impact on her family, noting that her late father died without answers and that younger generations now ask about Arlene.

Anyone with information can contact any Garda or PSNI station, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.