Second arrest in search for missing County Antrim woman Chloe Mitchell

Police have arrested a second individual in connection with the disappearance of Chloe Mitchell, a 21-year-old woman from County Antrim. Mitchell, considered a high-risk missing person, was last seen in Ballymena between the evening of June 2 and the early hours of June 3. Her brother, Phillip Mitchell, has expressed his devastation and urged anyone with information to come forward. A 34-year-old man was taken into custody on Saturday morning, while a 26-year-old man arrested in Lurgan, County Armagh, on Thursday remains under questioning.

Authorities are growing increasingly concerned for Mitchell’s safety and have reiterated their call for information. The police’s major incident public portal, a 24-hour online reporting platform, is available for anyone who believes they have relevant footage or information.

Superintendent Gillian Kearney said on Saturday, “It is completely out of character for her to not be in contact with her family, who are being supported by specialist officers during this worrying time.” She urged anyone who was in the James Street area in Ballymena between 10pm on Friday, June 2, and 5:40pm on Thursday, June 8, to consider if they saw Mitchell or anything unusual. She also requested that anyone with dash-cam footage from that period share it with the police.

Both the police and the Community Rescue Service (CRS) have been conducting searches in and around Ballymena since Thursday evening. Detailed searches have taken place in the Harryville area, the River Braid, surrounding parklands, and the Ecos centre. On Saturday, undergrowth, river banks, and bins were being checked. The CRS plans to continue searching through the night from Saturday into Sunday.

Door-to-door inquiries are being conducted by police near a flat on James Street. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed that Mitchell was seen on CCTV walking in the direction of James Street last weekend. Superintendent Kearney appealed directly to Mitchell, asking her to contact the police, family, or friends to confirm her safety and wellbeing.

Mitchell was last seen wearing a green and black North Face-style jacket, a white T-shirt, leggings, and Nike trainers. Darren Harper from the CRS stated that a significant number of volunteers were involved in the search. Due to the warm weather conditions, volunteers are being rotated and given breaks to stay hydrated. Harper explained that searchers are not sticking to roads and paths but are going through dense shrubbery to ensure a thorough search.

He expressed gratitude for the support the community has provided to the team of volunteers, saying, “The community has been absolutely fantastic in supporting us, dropping off cases of water, food, buns, and biscuits.” He added, “So I have to give it to the community in the Harryville and wider Ballymena area, they’ve been absolutely fantastic.”