The Irish Government is trying to get the Amy Fitzpatrick probe upgraded to a murder investigation.
Diplomats from our embassy in Madrid have been lobbying the Spanish authorities to persuade them to have a fresh look at the case.
The 15-year-old vanished as she walked home on New Year’s night in 2008 near Calahonda on the Costa del Sol.
Her father Christopher and aunt Christine Kenny are both convinced she is dead but Amy is listed as a missing person and her case is being probed by the Guardia de Civil.
Her family and friends have secured more than 25,000 signatures on a petition in Ireland demanding a cold case review.
Spain will invest much more in terms of resources if the probe is categorised as a murder inquiry.
A Department of Justice source confirmed Irish diplomats are dealing with the matter.
Amy’s dad Chris wants to see gardai involved and to send officers to Spain to help.
But a justice source said: “The gardai can only get involved if the Spanish police request it.”
Christine added: “We just want to find Amy, bring her home and bury her. Our Government has done very little for Amy so far and it is wrong. Remember she is Ireland’s Maddie McCann and we must never forget about her.”
Amy lived with mum Audrey, stepfather Dave Mahon and her late brother Dean near Calahonda.
Mahon killed her brother in 2014 and was jailed for seven years for manslaughter.
He and Audrey married and he was recently freed from jail after serving five years. They now live in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim.
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