Father of Deirdre Jacob relives fateful day daughter went missing on anniversary of disappearance
Student teacher Deirdre, 18, vanished just yards from the front door of her home in Newbridge on July 28, 1998
The father of Deirdre Jacob has relived the fateful day she went missing on the 26th anniversary of her disappearance.
Student teacher Deirdre, 18, vanished just yards from the front door of her home in Newbridge on July 28, 1998. Gardaí upgraded her missing persons to murder in 2018 and her heartbroken dad Michael still lives in hope that it may be solved.
He said: “The 28 of July 1998 was just like any other day. It was a Tuesday and we were all doing our thing.
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“I was gone to work early that day. Bernie [her mother] was going to work later on. Deirdre had a few errands to run. And that is how we set out our day. It was as any other summer’s day.”
Deirdre was spotted on CCTV walking into Newbridge, visiting her grandmother’s shop, the bank and the post office. She chatted to a friend she met in the street before setting out on the walk home. The last positive sighting of her was at the gate of her Roseberry home on the outskirts of the Co Kildare town.
Michael revealed: “The last sighting of her was just after three o’clock. She crossed the road into our gateway and a motorist driving towards Newbridge spotted her. As the motorist passed our gate Deirdre was just gone in our gate, the entrance. That was the last positive sighting of Deirdre.”
A six-week search failed to uncover any leads. A cold case team re-investigated Deirdre’s case as part of Operation Trace.
Michael recalled: “We were always a bit hopeful through the night and even the next day that she’d walk in any minute. But as time goes on... panic begins to set in and your mind just goes crazy. You don’t know who to contact and you don’t know what to think. We were in a terrible state of panic. It was a very trying time.”
In 2018, the case was upgraded to murder. And although some have speculatively linked her disappearance to convicted rapist Larry Murphy, the Jacobs are unconvinced.
Michael told KFM Radio: “We go by what the gardai tell us and they have been a marvellous support over the years. We’re asking people to think back again, there may be something in the back of your mind...
“It’s like a massive jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces scattered all over the place. There’s someone out there has one piece or a couple of pieces will knit it all together. We would be so grateful...”
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