HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ireland's Vanishing Triangle is a term commonly used in the Irish media when referring to a number of high-profile disappearances of Irish women from the late-1980s to the late-1990s. Several other women were also murdered within the triangle and their cases remain unsolved as well. All of the cases appeared to share some common characteristics. The women's ages range from their late-teens to late-30s, they disappeared inexplicably and suddenly, and no substantial clues or evidence of their fate has ever been found despite large scale searches and campaigns by the Gardaí (Irish police) to find them. Gardaí believe their remains are likely to be buried in remote fields,
bogs A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main Wetland#Types, types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, ...
and
forests A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
. The triangle is in the eastern part of the island, roughly the boundaries of
Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
, in an 80-mile area outside
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. Due to similarities in the cases, a popular hypothesis is that they may be the result of a
serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
or killers being active in the area during this period. The cases of these missing women feature in the Irish media periodically and the disappearances have been the subject in a number of unsolved crime documentaries. Gardaí set up an investigation task force in 1998 to focus on the unsolved disappearances and
homicides Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...
, but to date this has failed to turn up any substantial clues as to the fate of the women despite a €10,000 reward offered for information resulting in the recovery of a body.


Victims


Missing

* Priscilla Clarke, 25, disappeared on 3 May 1988, from
Enniskerry, County Wicklow Enniskerry (historically ''Annaskerry'', from ) is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The population was 1,889 at the 2016 census. Location The village is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains in the e ...
after going horseback riding with her employer, 39-year-old Lynda Kavanagh, whom she worked as a live-in nanny. Lynda's body was recovered two days later from the
River Dargle The River Dargle () is a river that flows from the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland to the Irish Sea. It forms Powerscourt Waterfall, receives the Glencree and Glencullen Rivers, and later the Glenmunder Stream / County Brook, and the Swan River ...
. The horses were discovered in the vicinity, damp and lost. Priscilla's body was never discovered. Two people were seen riding horses onto Charleville Estate on the day that Priscilla vanished. One was recognised as Kavanagh, the other person was not identified. However, Lynda called her husband to let him know she and Priscilla were going riding. At the time, it was believed that the women encountered difficulties while riding through the swollen river. However, Priscilla's family believe that foul play should have been further considered. * Annie Bridget McCarrick, 26, of
Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
, disappeared on 26 March 1993. The last confirmed sighting of her was that morning near her home in Dublin, where she was recorded on CCTV; several later reported sightings put her in
Enniskerry Enniskerry (historically ''Annaskerry'', from ) is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The population was 1,889 at the 2016 census. Location The village is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains in the ea ...
, County Wicklow. She arranged to see friends the next day, but was not at home when they arrived; nor did she come to work on 27 March, and she was reported missing that evening. On March 24, 2023, authorities announced that they upgraded her missing persons case into a murder inquiry. * Eva Brennan, 39, of Rathgar, County Dublin, went missing on 25 July 1993. She was depressed at the time and she disappeared when she left a family lunch at her parents' house after a small argument in Terenure, Dublin. Brennan's father went to her apartment because she had not come to the family home for two days. He rang the door bell. He then went over to the Horse and Hound Pub which the Brennan family owned and asked a barman to come over and they broke a window to get in. The jacket she had worn on the day she was last seen was there, so Brennan must have gone back to her apartment that day. There was no initial Gardaí investigation known to the family for around three months. The Brennan family have criticised the Gardaí on how they dealt with Brennan's disappearance. When last seen Brennan was wearing a pink tracksuit and leggings, she wore a man's wristwatch with a brown strap and carried a red leatherette handbag about 8"x10" with a flap to the front. * Imelda Keenan, 22, of Mountmellick, County Laois, was living in Waterford City, County Waterford when she disappeared on 3 January 1994. She had initially gone to stay with one of her brothers in
Cobh, County Cork Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...
, but left after a short while when she went to stay with two other brothers in Waterford City. She was living with her boyfriend, Mark Wall, and they both lived in an apartment in the town on William Street. Keenan attended the Central Technical Institute in Waterford where she undertook a computer course for a short period. Keenan told Wall that she was going to the post office. Keenan left the apartment at 1:30 p.m. and walked down William Street onto Lombard Street. The last confirmed sighting of Keenan is at this time when she was seen crossing the road by a local doctor's secretary who knew her well. The secretary and a friend observed Keenan crossing the road at the corner of the Tower Hotel and Lombard Street. She was never seen again. * Josephine "JoJo" Dullard, 21, of Callan, County Kilkenny, was living in Harold's Cross, County Dublin when she went missing on 9 November 1995. She had recently dropped out of a beauty therapy course after finding it very difficult to juggle work and college. On the day she disappeared, she was planning on moving home to Callan. She had missed her bus home to Callan and had to take a bus to
Naas, County Kildare Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in ...
instead. She disappeared in the
Moone Moone (; ) is a small village in the south of County Kildare, Ireland. It is on the former N9 road (now by-passed) about south of Dublin. It has only a few hundred inhabitants, a church, a national school, one shop and a small community ce ...
area of Kildare. She was
hitchhiking Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...
home from Dublin to Kilkenny. She had been driven from the Dublin area to Kilcullen, County Kildare and then from Kilcullen to Moone. She was last seen using a payphone and through telephone records, Gardaí found out the call was made at 11:37 p.m. to Dullard's friend, Mary Cullinan. She ended the call as she was about to enter another car. There was also an unconfirmed sighting of her walking along the road in Castledermot, County Kildare. The driver of the car has never been identified. * Fiona Pender, 25, of
Tullamore, County Offaly Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the midlands region with 14,607 inhabitants at the 2016 census. The town retained ...
, went missing on 23 August 1996. She was last seen leaving her ground-floor apartment by her boyfriend, John Thompson, in
Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, midlands reg ...
. Pender was seven months pregnant at the time of her disappearance. Fiona left her passport, clothing and credit cards behind. However, there were no signs of a struggle found in the apartment and it is believed that she left of her own accord and got in a vehicle. In 2008, a small wooden cross bearing the name "Fiona Pender" was found on The Slieve Bloom Way at the border between
Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
and
Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
, which led to the belief that Fiona was buried in the
Slieve Bloom Mountains The Slieve Bloom Mountains ( ga, Sliabh Bladhma; la, Bladinae montes) is a mountain range in Ireland. They rise from the central plain of Ireland to a height of 527 metres. While not very high, they are extensive by local standards. The high ...
. * Ciara Breen, 17, of
Dundalk, County Louth Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is hal ...
, went missing on 13 February 1997, on Bachelor’s Walk in
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
. She was last seen by her mother Bernadette, who said at the time that they had both gone to bed just after midnight. That day they had gone to a local café for dinner then returned home. According to Bernadette, she was due to get the results of a
biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a diseas ...
the following morning and Ciara was worried about this. The two had a short conversation on Bernadette’s bed before going to sleep at around midnight. After 2 a.m., Bernadette got up to go to the bathroom and discovered Ciara was missing. She had left a window on the latch and it is believed she did so, so that she could climb back in. It is considered the most likely scenario in Ciara's case that she decided to leave her home to attend a pre-planned meeting with someone that night but this has never been verified. In 2014, two credible witnesses came forward with sightings of Ciara from the night she disappeared and in 2015, a man was arrested, but released without charge. The male suspect was arrested again in 2017 for an unrelated drink-driving charge and died of a
drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.
while in custody. * Fiona Sinnott, 19, of Rosslare, County Wexford, was living in
Broadway, County Wexford Broadway () is a small village in the townland of Grange in southeast County Wexford, Ireland, around south of Rosslare Strand. The village contains a primary school. Transport Bus Éireann route 378 serves Broadway on Fridays only and provi ...
when she went missing on 8 February 1998. Fiona was last seen leaving Butler's Pub in Broadway. She left the establishment with her ex-boyfriend and father to her eleven-month-old daughter, Sean Carroll. Carroll told investigators that he had walked Sinnott back to her house in Ballyhitt, Wexford and that he had spent the night sleeping on her couch. Sinnott had gone directly to bed after complaining of pains in her arm and upper body, and the next morning, on 9 February, Carroll claimed that he entered Sinnott's bedroom and discovered that she was awake and she told him that she was planning to get a ride to her doctor later that day. Sinnott vanished without a trace. She did not visit a doctor that day, and there were no records of her having gone to any of the local surgeries. On 12 September 2008, a memorial plaque for Sinnott was stolen from a cemetery in Our Lady's Island in Wexford. The marble plaque, which had been cemented into the wall, was removed the night before it was due to be unveiled. In 2005, her case was upgraded to a murder investigation. * Catherine "Kate" Madigan, 35, was a primary school teacher and mother of one, who disappeared after she left
St. Patrick's University Hospital St Patrick's University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Naomh Pádraig) is a teaching hospital at Kilmainham in Dublin. The building, which is bounded by Steeven's Lane to the east, and Bow Lane West to the south, is managed by St Patrick’s ...
in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
on 14 May 1998. She was admitted to the hospital on 5 February, for treatment for a mental illness which caused her to be severely depressed. At 2 p.m., she left the hospital on her own. Hospital staff informed authorities that she was going for occupational therapy. She was seen on
closed-circuit television Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
leaving the hospital and was reported missing to Kilkenny Gardaí that same day. Catherine is presumed dead, but her body has never been found. Her clothes were found at Bray Head on 20 May 1998. * Deirdre Jacob, 18, of
Newbridge, County Kildare Newbridge, officially known by its Irish name Droichead Nua (), is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. While the nearby Great Connell Priory was founded in the 13th century, the town itself formed from the 18th century onwards, and grew rapidly a ...
, went missing at about 3 p.m. on 28 July 1998. She was living in
Twickenham, London Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borough c ...
and studying at St Mary's University but was home for the summer. She had gone to the Newbridge branch of
Allied Irish Banks Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is one of the so-called Big Four commercial banks in Ireland. AIB offers a full range of personal, business and corporate banking services. The bank also offers a range of general insurance products such as home, trav ...
to get a bank draft to pay for student accommodation at the university, then went to the post office to post the bank draft. She disappeared just yards from her parents' home as she walked home. Passing motorists witnessed Jacob approaching within yards of her parents driveway, but she never made it to her house. No trace of her has ever been found and she was never seen again. In 2018, the case was reclassified as a murder enquiry because of new information and a review of the case.


Murdered

* Antoinette “Angie” Greene Smith, 27, a mother of two young daughters, disappeared at 3 a.m. on 12 July 1987, after attending a
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
concert at
Slane Castle Slane Castle (Irish ''Cáisleán Bhaile Shláine'') is located in the village of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The castle has been the family seat of the Marquess Conyngham, Conyngham family since i ...
in
County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...
the previous evening. She had returned to
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
by bus after the concert at about 11:30 p.m., and went to the Harp Bar on O'Connell Bridge before going on to a nightclub, La Mirage Discotheque, in Parnell Street with a female friend. While in the club they met two men that they knew. They all left shortly after 2 a.m. Antoinette’s friend parted company when they left the club. Antoinette remained with the two men until all three walked to the taxi rank on O’Connell Street. The men got a taxi to the Ballymun area, while Antoinette continued to walk by the Gresham Hotel on O’Connell Street towards O’Connell Street Bridge. Her disappearance was reported by her estranged husband. Her remains were discovered on the Glendoo Mountains near the Lemass monument close to
Glencree Glencree ( ga, Gleann Crí from the older Gleann Criothach, which translates as Valley of the Shaking Bog) is a valley in the Wicklow Mountains in eastern Ireland. It is the third-closest valley in the mountains to Dublin city, the first being G ...
and
Enniskerry Enniskerry (historically ''Annaskerry'', from ) is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The population was 1,889 at the 2016 census. Location The village is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains in the ea ...
, on 3 April 1988. Forensic examination of her body showed she was raped and strangled. Her head had been covered by a plastic bag. * Patricia Moriarty Doherty, 29, a prison officer at
Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison ( ga, Príosún Mhuinseo), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed ''The Joy'', is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Edward Mullins. History ...
, had returned home in
Tallaght, Dublin ) , image_skyline = TallaghtDublinD24.jpg , image_caption = Tallaght, Dublin , image_flag = , flag_size = , pushpin_map = Dublin#Ireland , pushpin_label_position = left , ...
just before 9 p.m. on the evening of 23 December 1991, however she soon went to the Old Bawn Centre to buy Santa hats for her children. On
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
day, Patricia's husband reported his wife missing. The Gardaí were able to find a witness who reported seeing Patricia at 9:20 p.m. on 23 December walking past Bridget Burke's Pub towards Old Bawn Shopping Centre. A second witness came forward stating that he saw a woman matching Patricia's description entering a red car at the entrance to Old Bawn Shopping Centre. On 21 June 1992, a man was cutting turf in the
Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. Wh ...
in an area known as Glassmucky Breaks, less than a mile from where Smith's body was found, when he also found human remains. These were identified as Patricia's by the Gardaí through dental records. It was concluded that Patricia was most likely strangled as there was no signs of trauma. * Marie Kilmartin, 35, of Beladd,
County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
, attended work at a local nursing home at 11 a.m. on 16 December 1993. At 4 p.m., two of Marie's female co-workers dropped her home and watched her walk to her front door. When Marie's housemate arrived home from her job at 6 p.m. she found that Marie was not at home and that none of the lights in their house had been switched on. The housemate also found Marie's groceries unpacked on their kitchen table. A forensic examination of Marie's home uncovered no evidence as to what may have led to her sudden disappearance, Gardaí did however, discover that at 4:20 p.m. on 16 December a phone call was made to Marie's landline which lasted for two minutes. The call was traced to a payphone in
Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050 ...
near St. Fintan's Hospital. A witness later came forward stating that she saw a lone male entering the phone box at the time the call was made. She described the man as 30 years of age, 5’6 to 5’9 in height and having dark hair. This particular individual has never been identified. On 10 June 1994, her body was discovered in Pims Lane near
Mountmellick Mountmellick or Mountmellic () is a town in the north of County Laois, Ireland. It lies on the N80 national secondary road and the R422 and R423 regional roads. Name ''Mountmellick'', sometimes spelt ''Montmellick'' or ''Montmellic'', is a ...
,
County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
, sixteen kilometres from Marie's home. She was in a bog beside a drainage ditch with a cement block placed on the body. A post-mortem revealed she had been strangled and there was no evidence of
sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
.


Media

''MISSING: Beyond the Vanishing Triangle'' is a two-part
true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...
documentary first aired in May 2023 on
RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís � ...
.


See also

*
List of fugitives from justice who disappeared This is a list of fugitives from justice, notable people who disappeared or evaded capture while being sought by law enforcement agencies in connection with a crime, and who are currently sought or were sought for the duration of their presume ...


References

{{reflist, 2 1990s crimes in the Republic of Ireland 1990s missing person cases Fugitives Irish serial killers Missing person cases in Ireland Unidentified serial killers