Annie McCarrick’s family and friends are hopeful they will finally get some answers after the investigation into her disappearance was upgraded to a murder inquiry.

Gardaí last month confirmed the upgrade – 30 years after the New York native disappeared while living in Ireland.

Annie was just 26-years-old when she went missing on March 26th, 1993 and Gardaí are appealing to anyone who saw her in the days before her disappearance to come forward.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Annie’s childhood best friend Linda Ringhouse said the upgrade has given Annie’s mother new hope.

“I think if this is going to be solved, the upgrade has now given us the hope that it can happen,” she said.

“It is exactly what we needed and again, we’re really grateful that they’ve made those changes and we are hopeful again.

“That’s kind of all we have right now. It has been a long, quiet 30 years so this is great news for us.”

"The best kind of friend"

Ms Ringhouse described Annie as “the best kind of friend”.

“She was fun and intelligent and adventurous and compassionate and, you know, all of the things you would look for in a good friend,” she said.

“She was a good friend to a lot of different people. If you were lucky to meet her and strike up a friendship, you were in a good place.”

Missing US student Annie McCarrick.

Ms Ringhouse is in Ireland to make a documentary film about the disappearance – and will also give an official statement to Gardaí about her own visit to Ireland to see Annie just weeks before her disappearance.

“I was with Anne here vacationing,” she said. “About a month and half before [her disappearance].

“She had just moved back. She hadn’t settled into her Sandymount place so we, kind of, took off on journey for two weeks and I got to see Ireland through her eyes and all her favourite places.

“You don’t know … it is clichés like, live every moment because you never know what’s around the corner, that really comes to mind with that – because I didn’t know I would never see her again.

“You know, it is hard to comprehend.”

Annie McCarrick. Image: An Garda Síochána

Ms Ringhouse said Annie’s mother Nancy McCarrick has inspired all around her to carry on in the face of tragedy.

“It is a very surreal thing even just to be talking about it after all this time,” she said.

“It is unlike any kind of loss - you know, any normal kind of loss that you can explain – but you carry on.

“Mrs McCarrick has, kind of, shown all of us - the people and family who were close to Anne - how to do that. You just have to do it. You have to get on.”

"Never give up"

She said Annie’s family and friends will “never give up" until they know what happened to her.

“You can’t ever give up and Mrs McCarrick wants to be able to bring her home and have a proper burial,” she said.

“That is really why I’m motivated to do anything is to see if we can get Mrs McCarrick her one wish.

“You know, she deserves that.”

You can listen back here: