Imelda Keenan's family devastated as murder inquiry denied
Imelda Keenan has been missing since 1994. Her family have been fighting for her case to be upgraded to murder.
A quiet and shy girl, 22-year-old Imelda Keenan disappeared from Waterford City in 1994 and has not been seen since.
Originally from Laois, Imelda had recently fulfilled her dream of moving to Waterford to undertake a computing course.
She was living in an apartment in the city with her boyfriend.
Imelda's family have always believed that she was murdered.
The Keenan’s have campaigned for decades to get Imelda's case upgraded to a murder investigation, which would allow gardaí more investigative liberty than what a missing persons investigation affords.
In a devastating blow, the family were told last week that Imelda’s case would not be upgraded.
They say they are heartbroken, but insist their fight for justice is not over, and they will not stop until they discover the truth of what happened to Imelda.
On Monday, January 3, 1994, Imelda Keenan went missing from the Lombard Street area of the city.
According to An Garda Siochana, on the day she went missing she had indicated to her boyfriend that she was going to the post office in town.
She left her apartment at 1.30pm and walked down William Street onto Lombard Street.
Gerry Keenan, Imelda's brother, told this newspaper that the reason the case has never been upgraded to a murder investigation can be traced back to 1994, when gardaí did not complete a forensic sweep of Imelda’s apartment.
“Gardaí came down, they entered the apartment and they weren’t two minutes in there before they came back out, got into a squad car and drove away. That was the end of it.
“As far as we are concerned, there was no forensic whatsoever done in the apartment. If the investigation had been conducted in the most thorough way in 1994, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation today, almost 32 years later.”
Imelda's family were informed last November that gardaí would trawl through all their information surrounding the case to determine whether there is enough information to upgrade it to a murder investigation.
The family received the news last week that An Garda Siochana would like to arrange a meeting as soon as possible.
Gerry said other such missing persons cases have taken three to four years to get upgraded to murder, and so alarm bells were rung amongst the Keenan family upon receiving a call after just 10 months.
Family members travelled from Laois, Offaly and Kildare to attend the meeting at Waterford Garda Station.
Nervous, eager, emotional, they entered the room together.
Five minutes into the meeting, the group were told that there was not enough information to upgrade the case.
“All our faces dropped and the tears fell. We couldn’t believe what we were hearing. It was devastating news for the family,” Gerry said.
“We are heartbroken over the system. It has let us down completely.”
“I’m so hurt. I’m walking around town in a daze. I don’t want to talk to anybody.
“This is a blow that we will never, ever get over.”
Gerry and the Keenan family have always maintained foul play was committed, and that there are a small number of people in Waterford right now who are holding back vital information.
"She was a shy girl, she had a very small circle of friends, and key information is being withheld," he said.
He added: “If you have this information, you can take the Keenan family out of our pain.
“Tomorrow is never too late. Next week is never too late. If anyone can give us some evidence about what happened to our sister in the last few days of her life, we'd be delighted to hear that news.
"We'd hate to think that she was just buried in a shallow grave somewhere. If we could only just find her and bring her home and bury her with our parents, that would mean everything to us.
"If you could just tell us the right direction to go, or what happened, that would mean so much to us."
Determining the next steps will be difficult, but Gerry says the 31-year-long journey will continue until his dying breath.
"When I came out of the meeting last Thursday I was in a very bad place. I walked down the steps and I said: 'That's it. It’s finished.'
“A week has gone by now, and I now know that the fight must and will continue because the only way is up.
“I don’t know which way we’re going, but I am going to keep up the fight and with the help of the people of Waterford. I will continue, until the last breath in my body.
"We will never let this die."
Anyone with information about Imelda Keenan’s disappearance is urged to contact Waterford Garda Station on (051) 305 300, or any Garda Station.
You can do so confidentially via the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
