Philip Cairns (born 1 September 1973) is an Irish child who disappeared while walking back to school in South Dublin from his home in Ballyroan on 23 October 1986.

[5] Speculation at his school the day after his disappearance had Philip being kidnapped by a "bad man" who had offered him sweets then lured him into a van.

[5] Several hundred Garda Síochána officers and divers took part in a large-scale search of forests, lakes, mountains and rivers.

[11] Six days after his disappearance, Philip's school bag was located by two girls in an alley close to his house.

[5] This photo has been deemed a precursor to that of British infant Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal 21 years later.

[5] Gardaí have, however, praised the media as a proven method for encouraging people to come forward with further information on the case each time an appeal is broadcast.

Detectives based at Rathfarnham Garda Station have been reinvestigating the disappearance of Philip Cairns for several years.

[14][15] A further appeal for information was launched following the twenty-first anniversary of Philip's disappearance in 2007, when it emerged that over 50 people had approached investigators individually and had provided new lines of inquiry.

[13] That month saw a reconstruction of Philip's typical school route being broadcast on RTÉ One's Crimecall television series and the Irish Crimestoppers Trust offering a €10,000 reward for information.

[16] In May 2009, a stretch of private, wooded south Dublin land near a golf club on the M50 motorway was searched by investigators.

[7] Specialist equipment and finger tip examination techniques were used in an attempt to detect evidence of soil movement.

[24][25] She claimed that she witnessed Cooke strike Cairns with a blunt implement at the Radio Dublin studios in Inchicore.

[26] Gardaí questioned Cooke and he was reported to have confirmed that he had known Phillip, inter alia, but he did not reveal the location of Philip's body.

[25] In August 2016 it was announced that DNA samples taken from Philips' schoolbag did not match Cooke, but he had not been ruled out as a suspect.

[15] Eoin has spoken of his memories of Philip which include childhood games of soccer, fishing and hurling.

[5] The case was particularly unusual because it happened in the early afternoon and prompted parents to fear for the safety of their children, even in broad daylight.