The investigation into the disappearance of an Irishwoman in Portugal nearly four years ago is at a complete standstill’, according to her family.

38-year-old Jean Tighe went missing from the Portuguese town of Parede in July 2020 and her family has not seen her since.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has promised to raise the question of Jean’s disappearance when he speaks to the Portuguese Prime Minister later this month.

Speaking to Lunchtime Live, Jean’s sister Leona described her as a “very independent, free-spirited young woman”.

“Jean was in her late 30s, living her own life, doing her own thing and she was very capable and well-travelled,” Leona said.

“She was there on holidays and had booked a flight to return to Dublin on Wednesday July 15th.

“She never boarded that flight.”

Jean was seen going off to meet a male friend by a hostel worker - but she did not return to the hostel that evening.

The staff raised the alarm but, even though she was reported missing, the family was not informed.

Fours years on, Leona still finds it “extremely difficult that nobody thought to pick up the phone”.

Jean Tighe. Image: Find Jean Tighe/Facebook

The family ended up reporting her missing in December 2020 after they became suspicious the messages they were receiving were not from her.

“We hadn’t heard from Jean and the text messages and the phone and the WhatsApp messages just didn’t seem like her,” Leona said.

“We had contacted all of Jean’s friends and they had heard from Jean but nobody had ever physically seen Jean or had actually spoken to Jean.

“It was all very vague on WhatsApp and on text messaging and on the Instagram.”

The family has since been out to Portugal numerous times but Leona describes the investigation into her sister’s disappearance as at a “complete standstill”.

Jean Tighe. Image: Find Jean Tighe/Facebook

Indeed, it was only in 2023 that Jean’s name was added to a list of missing people in Portugal.

“We don’t believe that sufficient progress has been made in Jean’s investigation,” Leona said.

“Progress by the Portuguese police remains very slow; there was a senior detective appointed in response to a request by the Irish Embassy.

“That detective has since been moved off the case and we’re back to a previous investigating officer under whom no progress was made.”

The family feel there has never been “any signs of urgency” from Portuguese police about their sister’s case.

“Who was using Jean’s phone when I was texting her and other people were texting her?” Leona said.

“The two [read] marks were going up on the WhatsApp, who had that phone? Who took that phone?”

Jean Tighe. Image: Find Jean Tighe/Facebook

After so many years, Leona said the family is desperate for “real answers”.

“We miss her dreadfully,” she said.

“There’s a terrible sadness in the family, there’s a terrible sense of injustice, there’s a terrible sense of loneliness.

“My sister disappeared one Monday afternoon, going about her business… and there is nobody even appearing to be bothered by the fact that Jean just disappeared without a trace.

“It’s shocking.”

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Main image: Jean Tighe