Gardai think missing woman may have taken lift into town

Gardai in Newbridge, Co Kildare, are investigating the possibility that the missing student teacher Deirdre Jacob may have taken a lift shortly before she disappeared.

Supt Sean Lavin said gardai have had no reports of sightings of Deirdre (18) walking the 1 1/2 miles into Newbridge, Co Kildare, on Tuesday, July 28th. This has led them to believe she might have been driven into the town, although so far there is no evidence that she was given a lift. Deirdre was seen by a number of people returning from Newbridge later that afternoon, and was last seen about 300 yards from her home in the townland of Roseberry on the Barretstown Road around 3 p.m.

Supt Lavin said gardai had taken 300 statements and were anxious to talk to anyone who may have given her a lift or seen her walking into Newbridge. Gardai also want to speak to anyone in any part of the country who may have seen anything unusual or been approached by anyone on the roads.

Deirdre's father, Mr Michael Jacob, appealed again last night for anyone with the "slightest shred of information" to contact gardai. "The phone is going all the time with offers of help, and my wife Bernie, Deirdre's sister Ciara and myself, we've been carried along with that."

Mr Jacob said he believed it was "very, very unlikely" that his daughter would take lifts from strangers. "She'd certainly have to know the people very, very well. She was always quite happy to walk into town. It only took half an hour. "We feel so hopeless in the whole situation. We feel so inadequate and we feel there must be something we should be doing, somehow to reach her in someway," he said. Deirdre was wearing navy jeans and white Nike runners with blue trim, a navy polo shirt with white trim and short sleeves. She was carrying a black bag with a distinctive yellow CAT logo. "From Bernie, Ciara and myself we would send out the appeal to anyone that might have the slightest shred of information," Mr Jacob said. "It might be vital and it might be the piece of information that would get Deirdre back safe and sound." Any information can be passed to Newbridge Garda station on 045-431212.