But with the two week anniversary of Mr Colhoun’s disappearance approaching, it is expected that discussions around scaling back one of the biggest search operations ever undertaken along the Mourne, Finn and Foyle will begin.
Since his disappearance in the early hours of Sunday May 22, search teams have been combing the three waterways. The co-ordinated searches were launched after David’s father Joseph voiced fears that his son may have entered the water to evade capture.
For over a week now family, friends, community figures and cross border police officers have maintained a vigil along the river banks.
And as the waters subsided in recent days, attempts to locate the young man’s body intensified.
To date, not a single trace of the young man has been found, prompting further speculation over whether he entered the swollen waters at all.
But family spokesperson Teresa Logue told the Donegal News earlier this week that Joseph Colhoun held out no hope that his son would be found alive and it was now a recovery mission only.
Family members gathered in tragic anticipation on Tuesday evening after trained search dogs indicated to something in a small stretch of water close to the Camel’s Hump.
Specialist teams were drafted in to investigate amid growing speculation that the young man’s body would be retrieved within hours.
Hopes faded with the light however as the search was called off until daybreak.
Yesterday (Wednesday), search teams resumed their painstaking operations with hopes still high that the River Mourne would yet yield Mr Colhoun’s remains.
But contrary to speculation, at the time of going to press, nothing had been found.
At around 4pm, divers were withdrawn from the area pinpointed by the search dogs after hours of trawling proved negative.
For more see Friday’s Donegal News