The murder of a Co Armagh teenage girl is the focus of a new television documentary more than 50 years on from her brutal death.
Marian Beattie (18) from Portadown was killed and her body left at the bottom of a quarry on March 31 1973.
She had been at a charity dance in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone before she died.
Over 50 years later, her murder remains unsolved and her family continue to search for truth and justice.
Her death is the focus of a new TG4 documentary series, which aims to shine a light on the effect that fatal crimes have on society, local communities and on the victim’s families as they are left without answers.
This documentary features first-hand accounts from Marian’s brother Isadore and best friend Nuala Wilson, who were with her on the night she was murdered. Through harrowing testimonies, they describe how Marian’s murder has impacted them and the wider community.
The programme also delves into the archives to uncover how this heinous crime was reported on at the time.
Marian’s family have spent over 50 years trying to get answers that they believe lie within the local community of Aughnacloy.
In 2013 the Beattie family worked with criminologist Robert Giles to examine the case and bring it to the attention of the public again.
This led to new information being brought to light and the discovery that a large number of items of evidence belonging to Marian’s case was missing and also about a suspect volunteering to be interviewed by the PSNI, but no arrest.
This horrific murder, which happened during the worst period of the Troubles, now sits amongst the hundreds of cases under the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch.
The documentary also includes interviews with prominent community leaders and journalists who have looked extensively at Marian’s case.
It asks why a murder, with no known sectarian motivation, of an innocent 18-year-old girl has gone unsolved for so long?
TG4 and Midas Productions have also produced a podcast of the same name, which runs alongside the TV edition and explores the societal impact of each case.
The episode on Marian Beattie’s death airs on TG4 on February 19.
