A man has been arrested in connection with the suspected murder of a teenage girl who went missing nearly 30 years ago.

Cleveland Police are questioning a 64-year-old man arrested in Leeds in relation to the murder of Donna Keogh, who disappeared from Middlesbrough aged 17 in 1998.

Donna’s body has never been found and it is strongly suspected she was murdered shortly after she disappeared.

Her father Brian Keogh died aged 69 in July last year, without finding out what happened to his daughter.

He had led relentless campaigns to find answers to what happened to his ‘bubbly and ambitious’ girl.

Donna was last seen in central Middlesborough on Tuesday, April 28, 1998 and is known to have travelled to Leeds.

Attempting to track down her body, police in 2018 dug up a disused allotment two miles from where she was last seen in Middlesbrough.

The site – at Troon Close, on the Saltersgill estate – had been revealed as a place of interest after a review of the old investigation, as well as several other places.

Brian Keogh (pictured with his wife Shirley Keogh) died last July without finding out what happened to his daughter Donna Keogh following her disappearance in 1998

Donna Keogh was just 17 when she vanished in Middlesbrough on 19 April 1998 and police believe she had ‘come to serious harm’ – she is pictured with her late father Brian

The five-day search was unsuccessful, however, only finding human remains that were dated back to medieval times.

Donna disappeared in April 1998 and her family reported her missing on May 30 after the usual regular contact they kept was broken.

At the time of her disappearance she had been living with her cousins in a block of flats called Kings House, Central Mews, in Middlesbrough town centre.

On the day of her disappearance, she was seen in the Hartington Road, Aske Road and Bow Street areas of Middlesbrough.

Police officially deemed her case a murder in 2016 and reopened the investigation, probing sites in the area and excavating an allotment.

Her father Brian died last year after suffering a lung condition linked to his work.

Mr Keogh, a former soldier with Green Howards, worked as a doorman in his younger years and went on to run his own family business in plastering and damp-proofing before retiring just last year. 

His wife Shirley Keogh said her husband’s death had caused her heart ‘to break into a million pieces’ – but despite the family’s loss, she vowed to continue their effprts to discover what happened to Donna.

Mrs Keogh told TeessideLive at the time of her husband’s death: ‘He was hellbent on keeping the fight going.

‘Even the day before he died he kept mentioning it – he just wanted a bit more time. I know he would have wanted me to express his thanks for all the support in Middlesbrough.’

Cleveland Police were assisted by West Yorkshire Police in making today’s arrest. 

Det Chief Insp Steven Chatterton, senior investigating officer, said: ‘This morning we have made an arrest as a result of our recent enquiries and the man remains in police custody at this time for questioning.

Donna Keogh (pictured) has been missing for 28 years after her disappearance in April 1998. Her body has never been found 

Police dug up a disused allotment two miles from where Donna was last seen in Middlesbrough in 2018 but did not find her body

She was seen in the Hartington Road, Aske Road and Bow Street areas of Middlesbrough

‘I would like to reiterate our appeal for anyone to contact us who may have seen Donna, spoken to her or knows anything about her movements in Leeds in 1998 to come forward.

‘We are in close contact with Donna’s family and they have lived with unbearable uncertainty for nearly 30 years. We are determined to find out what happened to Donna for them.

‘Somebody out there knows the truth. If you have information, please tell us. You can contact us directly or report anonymously.’