Gardaí update family of missing Laois woman Imelda Keenan

The family of missing Laois woman Imelda Keenan are meeting senior Gardaí today to press for more action on their investigation.

Hopes are raised that the still unsolved missing case will now be upgraded to a murder investigation.

The Mountmellick woman is now missing for over 30 years, having vanished aged 22 from her Waterford city flat over Christmas 1993, finally reported as missing on January 3, 1994.

Imelda who grew up on Manor Road, attended St Joseph's Girls NS and the local technical school, before moving to Waterford where she was a third level student, living with her boyfriend when she vanished without a trace.

With increased attention nationwide on her case in the past year, new information came forward, and her family want the case upgraded to a murder investigation.

Her niece Gina Kerry spoke to the Irish Independent ahead of their meeting with Waterford Gardaí on Thursday, October 3.

"We want the case to be upgraded because people could be questioned then and we could have an inquest," she said.

The family believe that a witness's report of seeing Imelda on January 3 is incorrect, and that she has been murdered before that date. Another witness who gave new information came forward in the past year following an RTÉ documentary.

Last January on the 30th anniversary, the Keenan family gathered on the bridge of the last sighting of Imelda. Her brother Gerry who lives in Waterford spoke at that time to the Leinster Express / Laois Live. 

"Several people have come forward who are possible witnesses this year and we've had two meetings in two months with the Gardaí. We hope something will click and join the jigsaw for us.

"Deep down we think Imelda went missing days before she was reported. After a week or so, we as a family all thought there could be foul play. We all think she was murdered," he said. 

Update to follow.