In 1973, ten-year-old Brian McDermott disappeared after leaving his home in East Belfast to go to a nearby park. As the search for him unfolded against the backdrop of the Troubles, investigators were confronted with increasingly disturbing evidence and a case that would leave his family searching for answers for decades…
*** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***
This episode was researched and written by Eileen Macfarlane.
Script editing, additional writing, illustrations and production direction by Rosanna Fitton.
Audio editing by Joel Porter at Dot Dot Dot Productions.
Narration, additional audio editing and mixing, additional writing, and script editing by Benjamin Fitton.
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More information and episode references can be found on our website https://theywalkamonguspodcast.com
SOCIAL MEDIA: https://linktr.ee/TheyWalkAmongUs
MUSIC:
Royal Catacombs by Cody Martin
Saying Goodbye by Moments
Evidence Board by CJ0
The Diary by CJ0
The Last Straw by CJ Oliver
Apex Program by Cody Martin
Crucible by Cody Martin
Every Life Maters by Cody Martin
Frontier by Cody Martin
Intercept by Cody Martin
Leviathan by Cody Martin
Sabotage by Cody Martin
Dystopia by Ian Kelosky
To Explore by In This World
Storm Before The Calm by LNDÖ
Grim History by Lost Ghosts
Transfiguration by Lost Ghosts
Mind Over Matter by Chelsea McGough
Sleep by Stephen Keech
The Investigator by Third Age
Twilight Moon by Caleb Etheridge
Clash by Wicked Cinema
Dark Places by Wicked Cinema
Extinction by Wicked Cinema
Retribution by Wicked Cinema
Search And Destroy by Wicked Cinema
REFERENCES:
NEWSPAPERS
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797509/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797517/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797521/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797532/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/coventry-evening-telegraph/202797534/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797537/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797543/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-record/202797548/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797552/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/coventry-evening-telegraph/202797560/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/grimsby-evening-telegraph/202797576/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-northern-echo-3-am-ed/202797581/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/lancashire-telegraph/202797586/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bolton-news/202797592/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-news-and-star-late-final-ed/202797596/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797603/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-post/202797619/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/reading-evening-post/202797624/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/coventry-evening-telegraph/202797628/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/burton-mail/202797630/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph/202797634/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/herald-express/202797641/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/leicester-mercury/202797646/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202798883/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202799847/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797707/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797722/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797734/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797743/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202800416/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797751/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797760/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797791/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797801/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797811/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797812/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801108/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797820/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797829/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797840/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797845/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797848/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797854/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202797878/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801380/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801527/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801538/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801567/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801588/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801596/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801617/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202870218/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801647/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801687/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202870463/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801697/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801712/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801759/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801808/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/belfast-telegraph/202801838/
BRITISH NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE
Belfast News-Letter - 5 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 6 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 8 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 10 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 11 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 12 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 13 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 14 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 15 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 17 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 18 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 20 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 22 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 24 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 25 September 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 2 October 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 5 October 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 9 October 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 30 October 1973
Belfast News-Letter - 29 March 1974
Belfast News-Letter - 23 April 1974
Belfast News-Letter - 11 July 1974
Belfast News-Letter - 16 July 1974
Belfast News-Letter - 18 September 1974
Belfast News-Letter - 20 September 1974
Belfast News-Letter - 24 June 1976
Belfast News-Letter - 1 March 1982
Belfast News-Letter - 12 April 1982
Belfast News-Letter - 26 June 1985
Belfast News-Letter - 8 September 1986
Belfast News-Letter - 1 February 1992
Belfast News-Letter - 21 January 1994
Belfast News-Letter - 2 August 1999
NEWSBANK
Daily Mirror, The (London, England), February 27, 1997
Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland), September 11, 2001
Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland), September 5, 2003
Daily Mirror, The (London, England), September 6, 2003
Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland), September 6, 2003
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), September 6, 2003
Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland), March 22, 2004
Daily Mirror, The (London, England), March 23, 2004
Daily Post (Liverpool, England), March 23, 2004
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), March 23, 2004
Sun, The (London, England), March 23, 2004
Times, The (London, England), March 23, 2004
Daily Mirror, The (London, England), March 24, 2004
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), March 24, 2004
Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland), March 26, 2004
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), March 26, 2004.
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), March 27, 2004
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), July 13, 2004
Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications (England), January 24, 2008
Daily Mirror, The (London, England), January 26, 2008
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), January 26, 2008
Sun, The (London, England), January 26, 2008
Sunday Mirror, The (London, England), January 27, 2008
Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications (England), January 29, 2008
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), February 9, 2008
Burnley Express (England), March 12, 2008
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), March 13, 2008
Sunday Times, The (London, England), October 26, 2014
Sunday Mirror, The (London, England), November 2, 2014
Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland), September 23, 2023
Irish Times: Web Edition Articles (Dublin, Ireland), October 30, 2023
Independent, The/The Independent on Sunday: Web Edition Articles (London, England), September 1, 2025
Irish Times: Web Edition Articles (Dublin, Ireland), September 1, 2025
London Standard, The: Web Edition Articles (England), September 1, 2025
Daily Mirror, The (London, England), September 2, 2025
Daily Mirror, The: Web Edition Articles (London, England), September 2, 2025
Herald, The/Sunday Herald, The (Glasgow, Scotland), September 2, 2025
Irish Daily Mirror, The: Web Edition Articles (Dublin, Ireland), September 2, 2025
NationalWorld (England), September 2, 2025
MailOnline (London, England), September 22, 2025
Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications (England), January 24, 2008
Worcester News (England), January 25, 2008
Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications (England), January 25, 2008
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), January 26, 2008
Sun, The (London, England), January 26, 2008
Sunday Mirror, The (London, England), January 27, 2008
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), February 9, 2008
Worcestershire, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and Shropshire Counties Publications (England), March 5, 2008
Burnley Express (England), March 12, 2008
Newsletter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), March 13, 2008
Worcester News (England), April 12, 2008
ONLINE
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/he-started-to-get-nastier-to-my-kids.-he-hated-us/a/119096104.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-24240958
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/suspect-in-satanic-style-murder-of-schoolboy-maintains-innocence-i-didnt-kill-my-little-brother/a/130644884.html
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/brian-loved-this-park/a/119104140.html
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/an-ira-bomb-destroyed-key-evidence-which-could-have-brought-my-brothers-killer-to-justice/a/130870646.html
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/murdered-schoolboys-sister-breaks-50-year-silence-over-horrific-killing...-and-her-prime-suspect-brother/a/134306835.html
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/police-make-fresh-appeal-over-boys-1973-murder/a/112181801.html
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/publics-help-sought-in-review-of-murder-of-10-year-old-boy-in-belfast-in-1973/a/112181680.html
https://www.psni.police.uk/latest-news/legacy-investigation-branch-detectives-review-murder-10-year-old-brian-mcdermott
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36kkrpwr19o
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-25436738