Family of missing Stephen Cunningham 'heartbroken' as body found in Galway

The search for 32-year-old Stephen Cunningham had been “ramped up” in recent days after his shoes and socks were discovered in an area between a small lake and Maam Cross last weekend.

Gardaí and emergency services carried out a search of the area on Saturday and his body was located shortly after.

Stephen had been missing for five months and his disappearance prompted a major search in Galway.

He was seen in CCTV images at Gannon’s Filling Station in Westport, Mayo on November 5th, and at Dunnes Stores in Briar Hill, Galway the following day on November 6th.

In a social media post, Stephen’s sister said that the family were “heartbroken” and thanked the public for their support.

She wrote: “We are heartbroken but we have found my brother and have brought him home today. Thank you everyone for all the support over the last few months. It truly means a lot to all of us.”