'Hand yourselves in' police tell Armagh brothers wanted as part of probe into 39 bodies found on trailer
Essex Police chief inspector makes appeal in Belfast today
Last updated 1st Nov 2019
Detectives revealed today (Friday) they have spoken by telephone to one of the brothers wanted over the deaths of 39 migrants found in the back of a lorry in Essex.
Ronan Hughes (40), and Christopher Hughes (34), from Armagh have been urged to hand themselves in to police.
The pair are wanted on suspicion of manslaughter and human trafficking after the bodies of eight women and 31 men were found in a refrigerated trailer attached to a lorry in an industrial park in Grays in the early hours of Wednesday October 23.
Essex Police Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Stoten told reporters at a press conference at PSNI HQ in Belfast: "Today I want to make a direct appeal - Ronan and Christopher, hand yourselves in to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
"We need you both to come forward and assist this investigation. Although we have already spoken to Ronan Hughes recently by telephone we need to have a conversation with him and his brother in person.
"Talking to Ronan and Christopher is crucial to our investigation and the sooner we can make this happen the sooner we can progress and continue with our investigation.''
The detective said a lorry believed to be connected to the brothers was stopped and seized by the PSNI on Thursday, but no further arrests were made
They are said to have links to Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, as well as with the road haulage and shipping industries.
The discovery has sparked a huge international investigation to try to identify the victims.
Essex Police initially believed the 39 were all Chinese nationals, but Vietnamese men and women are feared to be among the dead.