Missing Waterford resident to feature on RTÉ 'Beyond the Vanishing Triangle'

A Laois woman who went missing 29 years ago from her Waterford home will be among the cases featured on a new RTÉ true crime series Missing: Beyond the Vanishing Triangle.

Imelda Keenan, 22, from Mountmellick disappeared on Monday January 3, 1994 in Waterford when she left her flat to go to the post office.

Extensive searches followed but no trace of the young woman was ever found.

The Keenan family in Mountmellick and in Waterford never stopped their efforts to find Imelda. A Garda investigation remains open into the case.

Episode one dealt mostly with Annie McCarrick, missing from Dublin since 1993. 

In episode two of the two part series, her brother Gerry will speak about Imelda, and plead for help to find her. 

Other unsolved cases featured will include those of Jojo Dullard from Kilkenny, Ciara Breen from Louth and Fiona Pender from Tullamore. 

Gerry told the Leinster Express / Laois Live that he was glad to take the opportunity to keep Imelda in the spotlight.

"Imelda will be gone 30 years in January. She would be only 52, still a young woman. I am glad I was asked to take part in the programme, I'll never refuse an interview about Imelda, I just hope it jogs someone's mind. 

"I know in my heart and soul that two or three people in Waterford are holding back vital information. We are after waiting 30 years to be taken out of our pain. All we want to do, even if it is only a bag of bones, is bring her home and give her a Christian burial with my parents," Imelda's big brother said.

He said that he told the programme in his interview that the family are unhappy with the level of Garda investigation, both then and now.

"I pleaded for the Gardaí to upgrade the case from a missing person to a murder investigation. Then they would start from scratch, with more power to knock on doors and investigate. We feel we are getting the brush off," he said.

Mr Keenan said that he sent a registered letter to senior Waterford Gardaí last February asking many direct questions on how the investigation has been conducted. To date he has not received any answer.

"I asked was the flat forensically examined and if not why not? I asked do they have a person of interest that they have yet to eliminate. What does it mean if a file is still open? Are they proactively trying to find out what happened or are they depending on information from the public before they act on the case?

"This is the hurting part. I got no email to say they got my letter. Not one thing," he said.

Part 2 of Missing: Beyond The Vanishing Triangle will air on RTÉOne on Monday night, May 15 at 9.35pm. Part 1 is available on RTÉ Player.