Inga Maria Hauser: Murdered backpacker's mother dies 'without justice'

Inga Maria Hauser went missing after she arrived in Larne on 6 April 1988

The mother of the German backpacker Inga Maria Hauser, who was murdered in County Antrim 31 years ago, has died.

Almut Hauser died on Wednesday after a long illness, said the law firm representing her family.

The SDLP MLA John Dallat, who is involved in the campaign to find Inga Maria Hauser's killer, said Mrs Hauser died "of a broken heart".

Inga Maria Hauser went missing after arriving in Larne on a ferry from Scotland in April 1988.

The 18-year-old's body was found two weeks later in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, near Ballycastle in County Antrim.

Almut and Josef Hauser made an appeal for information in 1989 about their daughter's death

No one has been convicted of her killing.

Solicitor Claire McKeegan of Phoenix Law, which acts for Inga Maria Hauser's sister Friederike Leibl, said Mrs Hauser died "without receiving justice or answers regarding the murder of this beautiful girl".

"Josef Hauser, Inga's father, sadly died in 2006 from cancer," added Ms McKeegan.

Mr Dallat, an MLA for East Londonderry, said Mr and Mrs Hauser had lived with the horror of their daughter's murder.

"Josef died in 2006 while Almut was living in a care home in Austria," he said.

Inga Maria Hauser was found dead in Ballypatrick Forest

"Today they are reunited in a better place but our responsibility and that of the police and courts is to redouble our efforts to ensure that those involved in Inga's murder are brought to justice.

"I am so sorry that my efforts and that of others haven't achieved their purpose so far.

"But I remain confident that sooner, rather than later, justice will be done and the justice that Almut was denied will be delivered."

Files were sent to the Public Prosecution Service this year in relation to Inga Maria Hauser's death.

In May last year, a 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder by police investigating the case.

He was later released.