THE FAMILY OF Imelda Keenan – a woman who went missing in Waterford 30 years ago – have said they’ve been told by gardaí that the case is being reviewed with “fresh eyes” to understand what happened to the 22-year-old.
They have sought the case to be upgraded to a murder inquiry as they contest the idea that Imelda had fled her home in Waterford at the time.
According to gardaí, Imelda Keenan was last seen on Monday, 3 January 1994 in Waterford city, having left her apartment at 1.30pm and walked down William Street onto Lombard Road.
The last reported sighting of the Co Laois woman was at that time, where she was seen crossing the road by a secretary who knew her.
However, at a public vigil last January – marking the 30th anniversary of the disappearance – Imelda’s niece Gina Kerry criticised gardaí, alleging they “never treated it as suspicious” and further claiming they did not search her flat after reports of her disappearance.
The vigil was held at the plaque now marking where she is recorded as being last seen, where Gina Kerry told a large crowd that the family disputes that their “sweet, loving” relative was last seen on the street corner in January 1994.
Following the meeting yesterday, the family expressed disappointment that the case was not being upgraded to a murder inquiry – but they remain hopeful that they can find out what happened to Imelda.
Kerry told The Journal they were told that gardaí will now go through the previous evidence “with a fine tooth-comb”, including up to 80 witness statements and numerous exhibits.
She added that while they feel like little progress has happened this year, they were glad to hear that the Garda review will “follow every single lead” to understand what happened to Imelda.
“They said they can’t tell us anything to respect the the integrity of the case, we understand that,” Kerry said.
“But we were told that the review will see a number of people allocated to work on it and that there’s detectives from Dublin now looking at it with fresh eyes to go through every single thing.”
The family has launched a petition seeking for the case to be upgraded to a murder inquiry.
The family has pointed to other evidence that they believe warrants further investigation. These include allegations that her aunt’s Christmas presents at the time were unopened, despite it being over a week after Christmas Day when she went missing.
She told the public meeting in January that visits by her brother to Waterford over that festive period also went unanswered.
Kerry further alleged that Imelda’s glasses were left on the table in the flat on William Street, along with her basic belongings – but alleged her diary was missing.
A statement from the Garda Press Office said the investigation into the disappearance of Imelda Keenan “remains an open and active” missing persons investigation.
“An Garda Síochána continues to engage with the family of Imelda Keenan. An Garda Síochána respects the confidentiality of meetings with families and does not disclose the contents of such meetings or discussions,” the statement said.
The Garda spokesperson said investigators continue to appeal to anyone with information on the disappearance, including anyone “who has not previously spoken with the investigation team, or who may have spoken but not provided all of the information that they possess for any particular reason”,
The spokesperson added that there are other people “who may, with the passage of time, now be in a position to provide information” to gardaí.
They can contact the investigation team at Waterford Garda Station, the Garda Confidential Line or any Garda Station.
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