Man appears in court charged with murder of missing woman Carrie Mullane in Northern Ireland

A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a missing woman whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Michael Lynch, 35, appeared in court in Dungannon on Saturday morning after being charged with the murder of Carrie Mullane, 39, and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.

Ms Mullane was last seen on 10 October, when she travelled to Enniskillen from Limerick, with police only becoming aware of her disappearance on 29 October.

Lynch, who has an address at Trasna Park, Enniskillen, appeared before the court via videolink from custody.

A detective sergeant told the court that a taxi driver reported driving a "slabbering" Lynch and an intoxicated Ms Mullane on 10 October, with the accused helping the missing woman from the vehicle into his property.

Police said the pair had travelled from Limerick together, where Ms Mullane collected benefits weekly, to Enniskillen via public transport on that date.

Lynch, who the court heard had vehemently denied harming Ms Mullane in any way, told police he had not seen her since that night.

The detective sergeant said Lynch had told police they had had a row on the journey to Enniskillen about his former partner and that when he arrived at the house he had fallen asleep - implying that he had been knocked out by an unknown substance administered by Ms Mullane.

He told police that when he woke she had disappeared and he had received a message via Facebook Messenger saying she was ending their relationship and travelling to Londonderry with an unknown person, signified with the letter "X".

The detective sergeant said the message was not in keeping with how she normally speaks and that family and friends had reported that it was unusual she had not been in touch with them, and had not been to collect benefits since October 10.

Police believe that during the hours he claims he was unconscious, Lynch was in fact travelling to hide the body of Ms Mullane and other evidence.

Police believe Lynch drove a van in the early hours of October 11 into Enniskillen and then visited a jetty. Hours before announcing the charges on Friday, detectives appealed for information about a campervan and boat they want to trace.

The detective sergeant said it was noted that Lynch began clearing out a camper van outside his home on 23 October and it was subsequently towed and sold for scrap on October 24.

A blood-stained carpet, a blood-stained Converse shoe and a bottle of Flash were later discovered in the van, she said.

She added the carpet is believed to have been from the living room of the property and Ms Mullane's DNA had been associated with the objects. There was also a blood splatter matching Ms Mullane and Lynch on the TV in the property, she said.

The police believe Ms Mullane was fatally injured on the carpet.

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The court heard a phone was taken from Lynch during his arrest and that it had several sim cards placed into it, including one with a number used on Ms Mullane's benefits registration.

The judge refused bail on the grounds of risks of interference with witnesses and justice, risk of flight and risk of reoffending.

Lynch is to appear again via videolink at Enniskillen court on 30 November.

(c) Sky News 2026: Man appears in court charged with murder of missing woman Carrie Mullane in Northern Ireland