Spanish police continue search for missing Irish girl

Clothes that were found by Spanish police searching for missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick did not belong to the Dublin girl…

Clothes that were found by Spanish police searching for missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick did not belong to the Dublin girl, according to her family, who have today renewed their appeal for information on her whereabouts.

It had been reported that black leggings were found in a ravine about 100 metres from her house in Fuengirola on the Costa Del Sol where she was last seen nine days ago.

Members of the Spanish civil guard search for Amy Fitzpatrick in the hills where she vanished in Mijas, southern Spain. Reuters
Members of the Spanish civil guard search for Amy Fitzpatrick in the hills where she vanished in Mijas, southern Spain. Reuters

Earlier today her mother, Audrey, appealed for information from members of the public. She also thanked members of the press and the police who resumed an extensive search today.

"I would appeal to everyone, particularly in the British community, if they know anything, if they remember anything, even small, anything they might have seen, to please ring up", she said.

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Over 200 Civil Guard officers and police have today extended the search to up to eight kilometres around the area where Amy was last seen.

The Spanish government has acknowledged that the lack of a breakthrough in the case of the 15-year-old is a "growing concern".

Nine sniffer dogs from the Civil Guard's mountain rescue unit and a police helicopter have also been called up to help comb the hills around Mijas.  Although local people had volunteered to help with the search, police have said they do not wish to use civilian volunteers because of concerns about preserving any items found.

The interior ministry's top official on the Costa del Sol, Hilario López, gave assurances yesterday that the search for the girl, who failed to return home from a friend's house late on January 1st, is an "absolute priority" for the Civil Guard.

However, he admitted that "with each passing day the worrying increases".

He refused to be drawn on possible similarities between the disappearance of Dublin-born Amy and the high-profile cases of two local teenagers, Rocío Wanninkhof and Sonia Carabantes, who were abducted and murdered in 1999 and 2003 respectively.

It is understood that the family of the missing girl has refused the assistance of the Irish consular service in Spain, although the Irish embassy in Madrid has contacted the family on a number of occasions.