Family of Imelda Keenan (22) say she was under sustained pressure before vanishing

The family of Imelda Keenan, who vanished 30 years ago, are convinced that a group of her acquaintances have significant information that could help unlock the case, which they believe was one of murder.

Ms Keenan’s niece, Gina Kerry, told The Irish Times the family does not accept Ms Keenan vanished on January 3rd, 1994, as has always been believed. Instead, they are convinced she was murdered in the run up to Christmas 1993, after a difficult time in her life when she had been under extreme pressure.

Ms Kerry added her aunt had sustained a number of injuries, and was seen using crutches and wearing a neck brace, in the the early 1990s, though she brushed it off as a “brittle bones”.

Ahead of a candlelight vigil to be held on Wednesday, at a memorial plaque on Lombard Street, Waterford, the family said they now wanted a fresh Garda review of the case. They believe that review should consider evidence they have gathered over the last “painful” year when they undertook an extensive campaign “like door-to-door inquiries but on social media”.

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“We have accepted that Imelda is dead but we can’t accept that it’s still a missing person’s case,” Ms Kerry said. “We need the Garda to accept that this should be a murder inquiry. And this is where it hurts us, we feel we can’t get that over the line for Imelda. She deserves not just to be put down as a missing person or a run-off. Her life was taken.”

Ms Keenan (22) was from Mountmellick, Co Laois, but was living in Waterford city, undertaking a computer course, when she vanished. Gardaí were told at the time that she left the shared apartment she was living in on William St, on Monday, January 3rd, apparently to collect her dole, and vanished.

A reported sighting placed Ms Keenan crossing William St at lunchtime that day. However, her family now believes that was a case of mistaken identity, or a genuine sighting attributed to the wrong day. They point out Ms Keenan could not have collected her dole on January 3rd, 1993, as it was a Bank Holiday.

They also say Christmas presents in Ms Keenan’s flat were unopened in January, and a wreath she had bought to put on he father’s grave was still inside the apartment. Ms Kerry said the family is now convinced her aunt was murdered in the build-up to Christmas.

Ms Keenan had not been in touch with her family for two weeks before she was reported missing. The family are “frustrated” gardaí did not carry out basic investigations, such as searching her home, back in 1993 because they did not believe her disappearance was suspicious.

Ms Kerry said when a YouTube video about the case was produced in 2023, she sent it to “hundreds” of people on social media. This resulted in some new information, about Ms Keenan’s life and who she socialised with, coming to light, which was followed up with other people.

Ms Kerry said some of those she had spoken to as a result of her inquiries over the last year have relayed what they say is information about the pressures Ms Keenan was under in the period before she vanished.

“There’s now eight or nine people saying the same thing, [they] don’t even know each other, don’t even know the other person has made a statement ... And yet they all sing from the one hymn sheet, it’s all the same.”

Ms Kerry now believes these friends of Ms Keenan’s, who the family knew nothing of until last year, were aware of the pressures she was under. She suspects they did not come forward in 1993 because they did not want to pass that information to gardaí.

While she makes no allegation of any wrongdoing against those people, she feels their knowledge about her aunt’s life could still significantly aid the Garda inquiry 30 years on.

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