A man has been arrested in connection with the murder case of a 26-year-old bus driver, Kenneth Fetherston, that happened in Dublin 15 years ago, according to recent Gardaí reports. Fetherston, who originally lived in Tallaght, went missing in September 2009, and his remains were discovered in the Dublin Mountains near Rathfarnham four months later. The Gardaí theorise that he was murdered following a conflict with local men, which led to injuries to his neck and head.
The Gardaí initiated a cold case review into Fetherston’s murder in 2020, run by the Serious Crime Review Team which is a part of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI). This review unearthed crucial evidence which provided means to secure a search warrant for a residential property in the midlands.
This search operation was executed on a recent Monday morning, coinciding with the arrest of a man in his forties, who is currently held at a Garda station in the Eastern Region under the regulation of section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
This recent arrest marks the sixth in this case. Previously, four men, aged between 23 to 47, were apprehended following the recovery of the body, but were freed as no charges were made. There was an additional arrest a few months later.
However, the probes sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was deemed as subpar for a trial. The investigators, who have always had strong suspicions about the perpetrator, lacked the necessary proof to carry charges.
At the time of his disappearance, Fetherston left Tallaght Cross Hotel in Dublin 24 to go to work, with reports last sighting him at Landy’s Industrial Estate Knocklyon in Dublin 16. His red Honda Civic was subsequently found near Gorey, Co. Wexford on the N11’s lay-by. The Gardaí surmise that the car was left there to inhibit finding his body.