Gardai have once again renewed their appeal for information around missing woman Imelda Keenan, as last Saturday marked 32 years since her disappearance from Waterford.
Ms Keenan disappeared from Waterford on 3 January 1994, when she was 22 years old. She had moved to Waterford city from Mountmellick in Co.Laois, and was living with her boyfriend at the time.
Imelda had left her apartment at 1:30pm that day, and was last seen crossing the road at the corner of the Tower Hotel and Lombard street. She had indicated to her boyfriend that she was going to the post office in the town, and the last confirmed sighting of her was by a local woman who knew her well.
Despite an extensive Garda investigation, there have been no confirmed sightings of her Imelda since – and her disappearance still remains as a missing person’s case, despite 32 years of lengthy campaigning from her family members for the case to be upgraded to a murder investigation.
As recently as last September, The Munster Express reported that after visiting Waterford Garda Station, the Keenan family received the devastating blow that Imelda’s case was still not going to be upgraded to a murder case. Imelda’s brother, Gerry Keenan, said that about five minutes into their meeting with a team of investigating Gardaí, they knew that nothing had been found. “They said that there wasn’t enough to open a murder case – our hearts dropped – for everyone of us in the room – we’re all in our 50s and 60s. After 32 years of campaigning, is this it? ” he told this newspaper.
Despite the pain that the Keenan family have had to endure over the past three decades of never finding out what happened to Imelda, they are still fighting to keep her name in people’s minds.
Her brother Gerry is her only relative that lives in Waterford, but other family members travelled down from Laois last Saturday, 3 January, to gather at her memorial plaque on William Street to remember her. Mr Keenan spoke to The Munster Express about the heartbreak his family has faced throughout the investigation into Imelda’s disappearance, and the renewed Garda appeal for information.
“We’re not going to give up – we want to get Imelda’s name out there, and the more we campaign about it, the more chance there is of someone remembering something,” he said. It’s not just [the investigating Gardaí, it’s the system that has failed. We have been let down by the system as it has not been upgraded to a murder case. We’re hurt.”
Mr Keenan emphasised that the most important thing for their family is to keep Imelda’s name out there, and that any small piece of information that people remember could be beneficial to the investigation. He said: “Myself and my family want to keep Imelda’s name out there and in people’s minds through the appeals, we hope the public can help us in any way possible – any information at all is appreciated – even something small that people might remember from that day that they think isn’t useful could be the thing that would help us to bring it forward and be upgraded to a murder case.”
The Keenan family have been left heartbroken time and time again throughout the investigation, as Imelda’s disappearance has never been upgraded to a murder case. Mr Keenan stated:“I remember being told that it wasn’t going to be upgraded and tears were running down my face, at the thought that my campaigning for the last 32 years was going to waste. ”
He referred to other cases of women who disappeared within a few years of Imelda – that of JoJo Dullard and Annie McCarrick – that were both upgraded to murder investigations despite neither of their remains being discovered. “We were very upset that the Gardai and investigating them couldn’t upgrade it to a murder case. We’re very hurt about it and we don’t want to be left behind, especially when looking at other cases such as those of JoJo Dullard and Annie McCarrick – we were told that the case cannot be upgraded unless a body is found, but in those cases, a body was never found,” Gerry said.
“THE PAIN IS STILL THERE”
“There’s bad days and sleepless nights thinking about what happened to Imelda. We know she wouldn’t have disappeared around Christmas time, she was a homebird. The pain is still there. It never went away, and the plaque is the nearest that we’ll get to a headstone,” he added.
Mr Keenan told The Munster Express that despite the painful journey himself and his family have endured over the past three decades, he has connected with people who have gone through similar experiences by attending meetings with the National Missing Persons Network. “I attend a lot of meetings with the National Missing persons network which are held in Dublin a few times a year, in hotels up there,” he said.
“ I’ve met a lot of other people whose loved ones are missing. It’s just about sharing my experience with others and comforting them, especially for those whose family members have only recently gone missing. There was nothing like this for myself, my family and other families at the time when we started out. I’ve gotten to know these people personally and have become friends with them, and seeing a friendly face makes a difference when you’re at one of these meetings,” Mr Keenan added.
While speaking to The Munster Express last September, Mr Keenan said that he would “keep banging the table” for as long as he can, and not give up fighting for his sister. “I’ve been here for 50 years and even though I’ve had tragedy here, I love Waterford. It’s a lovely place to live
and I love everything aboutWaterford. Imelda was the same and when she saw the seaside and Tramore, she couldn’t get over it. She was always hoping to come down here to live.” He added that someone in Waterford must have known what happened to Imelda 32 years ago.
APPEAL FOR INFORMATION
In their last appeal, Gardaí were seeking to speak with anyone who may have resided or frequented 4 / 5 William Street or have resided / worked in Waterford during the period
Imelda went missing; anyone who may have seen Imelda Keenan on the Bank Holiday, 3 January, 1994; or maybe someone who previously came forward and may now have new information.
In their renewed appeal to mark the 32nd anniversary of Imelda’s disappearance, Gardaí have released a computer-generated age-progressed image of what she might look like today, as she would now be 54 years old.
Appealing to the public, Superintendent Gavin Hegarty said: "Imelda, 22 years old and originally from Mountmellick in Co. Laois, was a resident of Waterford city while pursuing her studies when she disappeared without a trace. Imelda was known for her quiet demeanor, her love of music and her strong family ties. Despite extensive investigations spanning 32 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."
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.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
