Right : Age-progression to unknown age and Philip's schoolbag.
Right : Age-progression to unknown age and Philip's schoolbag.
Name: Philip Cairns
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: October 23, 1986
Location Last Seen: Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland
Date of Birth: September 1, 1973
Age: 13 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
Weight: 91 lbs (41 kg)
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Hazel
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: He has a small birthmark under his chin.
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Not Available
Clothing: He was wearing a gray jacket with black shoulder corners, dark-gray school trousers, a dark-gray v-neck jumper, a gray school shirt, black leather shoes with laces.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Schoolbag
Philip Cairns disappeared from the Rathfarnham section of Dublin in County Dublin about 13:30 while returning to his secondary school after eating lunch at home. It was a fifteen minute walk on Ballyroan Road between his home and school.
His missing bag was found on October 30, 1986 at 19:45, seven days after he went missing in a laneway a few hundred yards from his home. It is known that the bag had been recently placed there because the area where it was found had been previously searched and it had been heavily drizzling that day, but the bag itself was dry.
Out of a total of six books he went missing with, three were missing: a geography book and two books for his religion class. DNA analysis were conducted on the bag without any concluent result.
In 2002, the Sunday Independent published an article which claimed that Philip was being abused by somebody outside his family and was murdered after he confided in another man about the abuse. The article claimed that this man was also abusing children and alerted Philip’s abuser.
In 2009, the entrance to a wooded area on Whitechurch Road in Rathfarnham was sealed off and searched when Gardai received a new lead. However, nothing was discovered.
In 2016, RTE reported that it may have been convicted paedophile Eamon Cooke that killed the child at his pirate radio station in October 1986. This is according to a statement from a woman who came forward following an appeal last month, claiming that she was with Cooke on the day that Cairns was abducted and gave new information linking Cooke with Cairns. Cooke is thought to have confirmed aspects of the statement, but refused to say where Cairns was buried.
Eamon Cooke is the main suspect in the disappearance of Philip Cairns. He died in 2016 in hospital without confessing Philip's abuse and/or murder.
Agency Name: Rathfarnham Garda Station
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: +35316666500
Agency E-Mail: https://www.garda.ie/en/contact-us/station-directory/rathfarnham.html
Agency Case Number: Unknown
Agency Name: Garda Missing Persons Bureau
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: +353 1 666 9476
Agency E-Mail: missing_persons@garda.ie
Agency Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: Not listed
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
Added: Prior to 2011; Last Updated: 08-23-2021 - By: Htmlcnvtr
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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