New witness ahead of 30th anniversary of missing Laois woman

There is renewed hope to end the trauma of the Laois family of missing Mountmellick woman Imelda Keenan.

On January 3, her family will gather at 3pm to mark the thirtieth year of her disappearance, gathering at a plaque dedicated to Imelda on a bridge in Waterford city where she was reportedly last sighted.

Since Christmas 1993, the Keenan family have campaigned to find their missing sister, including her brothers Donal now deceased, Gerry and her niece Gina Kerry.

Their unending effort was helped in 2023 with a television documentary that resulted in a new witness coming forward.

A national newspaper this week reported that a woman who knew Imelda in the early 1990s has contacted gardaí "with details about a number of frightening incidents involving the young woman that took place in Waterford before her disappearance".

The witness recently gave a formal statement to gardaí, first met Imelda in 1990. She moved from the Waterford area before Imelda’s disappearance and realised she had vanished only after watching the TV programme on Ireland’s missing women earlier in 2023.

The Keenan family's request to Gardaí to upgrade her case from missing to murder, has so far been unsuccessful. That upgrade would add Garda resources to the investigation which remains open and unsolved.

Her brother Gerry made another appeal on National Missing Persons Day last December, saying they still have hope. Listen to it here. 

“There are many aspects of Imelda’s disappearance that just don’t make sense to us,” Ms Keenan’s niece, Gina ­Kerry, told the Irish Independent.

“We believe that someone Imelda knew was hurting her in the lead-up to her disappearance and we believe she was murdered.

“The Monday she disappeared was a bank holiday. She had told her fiance she was going to collect her dole payment, but the post office wouldn’t have been open that day.

“We also dispute the sighting of Imelda on William Street. We think that may be a case of mistaken identity or that the sighting relates to a different day.”

Imelda was last seen by her ­family two weeks before Christmas, and had left Christmas gifts wrapped under her tree for them. 

“I get really frustrated for my family. I want the truth, and I want my family to get peace,” Ms Kerry said.

“I have accepted that we will never find her. But if my family are never ­going to get peace in that regard, I don’t want the people involved in Imelda’s death and burial to get any peace either.

“Our family has nothing to lose, we have already lost Imelda.

“We would appeal to anyone who knows anything to please get in touch with gardaí,” Imelda's niece said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Waterford garda station on 051 305 300 or any Garda station, or phone the garda confidential line on 1800 666 111.

Calls can also be made to the Missing Persons Helpline Ireland on 1890 442 552 or, for those who wish to remain anonymous, their Help Bring Them Home confidential line 1800 911 999 is available in Ireland only.