Gardaí investigating the disappearance of a father-of-four in County Monaghan 18 years ago have discovered a car in Lough Erne.

Michael ‘Tony’ Lynch was last seen on Fermanagh Street in Clones in Clones, County Monaghan on January 6th 2002.

Earlier this year, gardaí marked the 18th anniversary of his disappearance by appealing for information on the location of his car and yesterday, members of the public spotted something in the water in Lough Erne.

Gardaí liaised with the PSNI to carry out an underwater search of the lake and found a submerged car they believe to be Mr Lynch’s Mitsubishi.

Inspector Graham Tolan of Monaghan Garda Station said: “An Garda Síochána will continue to investigate missing person’s cases for as long as it takes.”

“In this case, An Garda Síochána has been searching for Mr Lynch for 18 years.

“We are grateful to the members of the public who alerted us to this anomaly in the water. I’d like to remind the public that small pieces of information, no matter how insignificant they may seem, can often prove vital – as is the case today.”

As part of the anniversary appeal in January, investigators carried out searches at 10 lakes in County Monaghan. Gardaí said the searches were due to continue at other lakes in the border region but were cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspector Tolan said officers would work with the PSNI in Lisnaskea, who are also investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery.

Mr Lynch was 55-years-old when he went missing and was originally from Magheraveely in County Fermanagh.

He was reported missing on the 9th of January 2002.

Anyone with information are urged to contact Gardaí.