Bog land being searched for murdered Willie and Ana is adjacent to plot once owned by their suspected killer
EXCLUSIVE: Gardai have said that the area of bog land at Ring Commons in Balrothery East in north County Dublin will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations over the coming days
The bog land being searched this weekend by gardai for the remains of murdered Willie Maughan and his partner Anastasija (Ana) Varslavane is adjacent to land once owned by their suspected killer, we can exclusively reveal.
Willie, 34, and pregnant Ana, 21 were last seen nine years ago on April 14, 2015. They were living in a caravan in Gormanston, Co Meath and were planning on moving back to Willie’s family home in Tallaght on the day they went missing.
Gardai have said that the area of bog land at Ring Commons in Balrothery East in north County Dublin will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations over the coming days.
READ MORE - Gardai begin major dig in Dublin for missing couple in nine-year murder mystery
READ MORE - Missing couple 'were murdered and incinerated' before disappearance was reported to gardai, informant claims
The area being searched comes after gardai received new information in recent weeks.
The search commenced on Friday morning on the land where a specially trained Cadaver dog located three areas of ‘interest.’
Galvanised fencing with black coverings were placed around the hedge area of one of the areas of interest where a digger and a number of gardai commenced a dig.
Willie’s heartbroken mother Helen and two family members arrived at the scene just after 4pm on Friday. They spoke with senior members of An Garda Siochana and were led a few metres up a laneway to view the area being dug.
Mrs Maughan, who shed a number of tears at the search site, shook hands with gardai and left the scene.
Mrs Maughan and her husband Joe are expected to return to the area today (SATURDAY).
The bog land, which is covered in trees and reed bushes, is located adjacent to a plot of land once owned by notorious gang boss Cornelius Price, the chief suspect in the couple’s murder.
It’s suspected Willie may have been buried on the bog land after they were killed by Price and other members of his gang at his compound in Gormanston, Co Meath on April 14, 2015.
Notorious Drogheda gang boss Price - who was heavily involved in organised crime and suspected of being responsible for at least six murders - died from a brain disease in a Welsh hospital in February 2023.
He was behind much of the chaos in the lethal Drogheda feud that claimed four lives and fled to the UK in 2020 from his “enclave for criminality” fortified compound in Gormanston, Co Meath shortly after the gruesome murder and dismemberment of Drogheda teen Keane Mulready-Woods.
He is suspected to have had the couple murdered because they may have had key information about the gang’s activities, including the murder of Benny Whitehouse in Balbriggan in November 2014.
Mr Whitehouse is suspected of being murdered as a result of a dispute over the drugs trade in the north-east of the country. Price denied any involvement.
And after Price’s death in 2023, his daughter Alisha sensationally claimed to us her dad “had nothing to do" with the brutal murders of Willie and Ana.
Alisha, who contacted this reporter just weeks after 41-year old Price’s death, also claimed that the person responsible for killing the couple is “a major Dublin drug dealer” who is still out there.
“My father and his associates had nothing to do with it [the murders of Willie and Ana],” she said, claiming a major Dublin drug dealer was responsible instead.
This weekend’s search is being carried out by the Garda Investigation team and is supported by the Meath Divisional team and the Garda Technical Bureau.
Gardai said the investigation is being carried out by the Serious Crime Unit, Meath Division and is being led by a senior investigation officer based at Ashbourne Garda Station.
Gardai continue to appeal to anyone with information in relation to the disappearance and murder of William Maughan and Anna Varslavane to speak with investigating Gardai.
A garda spokesperson said: “Given the passage of time since their disappearance, individuals' personal circumstances may now have changed and people may now be in a position to either speak to investigating Gardaí or to provide information now that they may not have been able to provide before.”
Seven people have been previously arrested in connection with the case and despite numerous searches over the years, their remains have not yet been found.
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