The family of an Irish woman who disappeared without a trace 29 years ago say they are ‘one million percent’ certain she was murdered.

Imelda Keenan was reported missing on January 3rd, 1994; however, she was last seen by her family two weeks before Christmas.

Her devastated family has spent the last 30 years looking for answers – and are now pleading with Gardaí to upgrade the investigation into a murder inquiry.

On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, Imelda’s niece Gina Kerry said Imelda was reported missing by someone who said she had left the house to go to the post office but never returned.

Her family went to her home in Waterford the following day and found several things that led them to believe she had been missing for longer than reported.

“When they went in, they noticed that Imelda’s glasses were still there – her cigarettes, her belongings that you would take if you were going out to the Post Office,” she said.

“They also noticed that Christmas presents weren’t opened under the tree and there were Christmas presents not given to her nephews also.

“We found that very strange because nobody opens Christmas presents in January. If anything, it could be Christmas eve but never in January. So that raised alarm bells for the family straight away; it just didn’t add up.”

Imelda Keenan. Image: supplied

Gina said Imelda had sent the family Christmas cards before the holidays and had told one of her family members he would be coming home for during the holiday season.

She said Imelda’s brother had gone to her house twice over the Christmas period and nobody was home – even though her light was on.

“A million percent in my heart, I don’t believe that Imelda ran off or committed suicide or anything,” said Gina.

“Imelda was murdered.

“She did not go missing, in my opinion, on Jan 3rd because of what I have seen over the Christmas period and the unopened Christmas presents.”

Imelda Keenan’s niece Gina Kerry. Image: supplied

Imelda is described as a quiet person who rarely opened up to people she did not know well.

She was close to her family and would always go home to her mother in county Laois if she was upset or if something was wrong.

After she was reported missing, Gardaí carried out searches in local woodland and the river in Waterford, but after a couple of weeks, Gina said, the investigation died down.

In later years, her case was included in Operation Trace, which Gina said tried link her disappearance to the actions of a serial killer.

“We don’t believe this is what happened to Imelda,” she said.

“We believe someone close to Imelda or someone that knew Imelda in Waterford has the answers to her disappearance. We don’t link her to anybody else or any of the other missing people in Ireland.”

Imelda Keenan. Image: supplied

Gina said she has found it very difficult to get Gardaí to listen to the families concerns over the years and she is now pleading with them to upgrade their investigation to a murder inquiry.

“I have independent witnesses that have vital information that want to talk to Gardaí and I am just fighting every day to get them to listen,” she said.

“I’ll keep fighting the fight with my family and hopefully the guards will just believe us that she is not missing, she is murdered.

“We need this upgraded.”

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