Family heartbroken assoul mate vanishes

Jack, who went missing from his home in Currynierin on Friday, and is feared dead.

Brian Murray and Lorraine Gormley returned to their Ridgeway Drive home on Friday after a short run to Top of the Hill, having left Jack, - their beloved miniature Jack Russell- at home, as usual, for the brief time they would be away.

Mr Murray told the Sentinel they were out for no more than 45 minutes but when they returned Jack was missing.

After a quick search Mr Murray discovered a patch of blood on the living room sofa and a trail of red specks leading out the back gate and onto the path to the rear of Ridgeway Drive.

“He’s been with us for five years,” said Mr Murray. “All the grandwains doted on him. It’s hard to explain but he wasn’t just a pet. To us, he was like a person, he was one of the family. Especially for Lorraine, who was always with him.”

“The granddaughter was in today (Monday) asking for him but what do you say?”

Mr Murray praised the PSNI who he said attended promptly and eventually took forensic evidence from the scene.

Detective Constable Richard Donnell confirmed: “A trail of blood was found from the living room to the back yard and we are investigating the possibility that someone went into the house and harmed the dog, before removing it.”

Unnervingly, the suspected intruders left the house otherwise untouched, stealing nothing and carefully closing the doors as they went.

Mr Murray is convinced someone was watching the house.

“It must have been someone quite local who knew the house was empty,” he said. “Someone who was watching the house.”

The family has established a Facebook page calling for ‘Justice for Jack,’ following the incident.

By late afternoon on Monday it had already accumulated over 400 ‘likes,’ or marks of approval from fellow users of the social media site.

Mr Murray posted on the page: “Thanks so much everyone. Now nearly 48 hours without sleep. Our Jack wasn’t a dog or a pet he was part of us - a beat in our heart, a total soul mate.

“They say silence is golden but at this moment in our life it is heartbreaking.”