Forty years after Des vanished, new information is still emerging. Peter Connolly has now made an official statement to police about seeing Des after he disappeared — and one detail about what Des was wearing raises fresh questions about whether unidentified remains found years later could really be his.

Then come two potentially important identifying clues: Des had missing teeth and may also have had a metal plate in his jaw  information that has now been passed to police.

As old photographs, family records and memories continue to surface, the search for answers is gathering momentum  and proving that even after four decades, a cold case can still move forward.