LAST UPDATE | 3 Jan
GARDAÍ HAVE RENEWED an appeal for information on the case of Imelda Keenan, a 22-year-old woman who went missing from Waterford city on this day 31 years ago.
Originally from Mountmellick, Co Laois, Imelda was reportedly last seen at the corner of the Tower Hotel and Lombard Street in Waterford on Monday 3 January, 1994.
Imelda had moved to Waterford and was living with her boyfriend. On the day she vanished, she is reported to have left her apartment at 1:30pm on nearby William Street.
In a statement released to mark the anniversary of her disappearance, Gardaí said that Imelda was reported missing by her family the following day.
If Imelda is still alive, she would now be 53-years-old. A computer generated photo has been released to mark the anniversary, depicting how Imelda might appear now.
Speaking to The Journal today, Waterford Garda Station Superintendent Gavin Hegarty said gardaí were keeping a “very open mind” as regards what happened to Imelda.
He said the investigation has taken over 80 statements throughout the years, but “no definitive answers” have been found as to what became of the young woman.
“It was reported to us at the time that she was going to the GPO to collect her dole. Now, we know that the third of January 1994 was a Bank Holiday Monday, so therefore the GPO wouldn’t have been open,” Hegarty said.
“Whether or not Imelda was of the belief that the GPO was open and was going to the GPO to collect the dole, and then found it closed, we don’t know. Did Imelda go to the GPO and find it closed? And where did she go after there? We don’t know if she ever made it as far as the GPO.”
Hegarty said they are continuing to explore “every possibility” in relation to the case.
“We’re open to the possibilities that Imelda is still alive, and we’re following lines of inquiry in relation to that, if they’re available, he said, pointing to the age progression photograph released today.
“We’re also following the possibility that she may be deceased, and if she is, we are following line, every line of inquiry in regard to that. And we will go wherever that brings us.”
“We’re not in a position to give answers to the Keenan family, answers that they desperately, desperately want.
“So what we’re trying to do in the course of this appeal is to see if anybody out there has any information that they might not have provided before now, can they contact gardaí and help give this closure.”
“Imelda was known for her quiet demeanor, her love of music and her strong family ties,” Hegarty said.
“Despite extensive investigations spanning 31 years, the silence surrounding her fate remains unbroken. We continue to urge anyone with information or the ability to assist our investigation to come forward.”
Asked about the Keenan family’s wish to upgrade the investigation to a murder case, Hegarty said gardaí are “closing no doors or avenues in relation to the investigation. “We want to find out what happened,” Hegarty said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gardaí at Waterford Garda Station on (051) 305 300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
Last October, Imelda’s family met with gardaí to seek the case to be upgraded to a murder inquiry. The family told media subsequently that they were informed it would remain as a missing person investigation, but that “fresh eyes” would examine the case.
The family has pointed to evidence around the case that they believe warrants further investigation. These include allegations that her Imelda’s Christmas presents at the time of her disappearance were unopened, despite it being over a week after Christmas Day when she went missing.
A public meeting held in January last year – marking the 30th anniversary – heard that visits by Imelda’s family to her William Street apartment in Waterford during Christmas 1993 also went unanswered.
Hegarty said gardaí would not discuss the claims about evidence for operational reasons.
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