Michael Jacob’s thoughts were on his daughter Deirdre as he drove out of his Kildare home on Friday morning - 25 years to the day since she was last seen.
Mr Jacob, along with his wife Bernadette, marked the anniversary at Newbridge Town Hall, where he made an appeal to the public for information that might crack the case.
“That’s extremely painful, very, very painful, it’s gone on for 25 years now,” Mr Jacob said. “It doesn’t happen to be at an anniversary that it becomes painful – every day is difficult for us.”
“Even today, as we were driving out our gateway, it crosses your mind: that’s the last spot where Deirdre was seen.”
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Deirdre went missing shortly after 3pm on the afternoon of July 28th, 1998, after visiting her grandmother. She was 18 years old at the time, at home for the summer after finishing her first year at St Mary’s University, in Twickenham, London.
CCTV footage showed the student teacher walking from a bank and post office and then heading towards the family home in Roseberry. The last sighting of her was as she neared the house. Deirdre was carrying with her a distinctive CAT-branded black satchel.
In 2018, on the 20th anniversary of her disappearance, gardaí upgraded the missing persons case to a murder investigation. An investigations file has been has been submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions, but, as of yet, there has no direction to prosecute in the case.
No one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with the murder, and the case remains open.
“A small bit of information could crack this case,” said Superintendent Paul Burke, of Kildare Garda station.
“It’s like a jigsaw, waiting for a couple of extra pieces to come and piece it all together,” Mr Jacob added. “We can find what happened to Deirdre, where she is, and we will be able to bring her home.”
“Our main aim is to find Deirdre and to find out what happened to her,” said Bernadette Jacob. “We just appeal, for anyone that can help in that respect.”
Mr Jacob spoke of his family’s unyielding determination in finding out what happened to Deirdre, and the regular, stinging reminders of her absence.
“There’s been many, many family occasion over the past 25 years where photographs are being taken and people have been in good form, and enjoying themselves or whatever. But in and around the middle of all that, we will spot the gap that is left behind by Deirdre not being there.”
“We are convinced that the information is out there, there is person or persons that has that information. And we feel the more we try to keep Deirdre’s case alive, the better chance we have of getting that piece of information.
Superintendent Burke said that he would not comment on any potential suspects in the case, instead stating that there are “a number of possibilities” if new information comes to light. “I’m not ruling anything out.”
The superintendent said he was interested in speaking to anyone who might have information to offer.
“I want to speak to any person who met, spoke with or had any interaction with Deirdre Jacob on the 28th July 1998 or subsequently.
“There are person or persons who have information on the disappearance of Deirdre Jacob and her murder on or about July 28th, 1998, and who haven’t yet spoken to gardaí or who may have already spoken to Gardaí but were not in a position to tell everything that they know at that time.”
Speaking earlier on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland and Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Jacob said there were many sightings of Deirdre as she walked from Newbridge to the gateway of the family home but none after that. “We know nothing at all – it seems as if she just vanished, there was never any leads or any sightings or anything that made any difference after that.
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“The initial shock when we found that Deirdre wasn’t in the house and wasn’t with any of her friends – that was a very, very severe shock. I suppose at that time we didn’t realise this shock because we were searching with such vigour to try and find her.
“Then as time moved on the shock became great, became very severe, and that has continued day after day. There’s no day that we don’t ponder as to what may have happened and even in our minds try to retrace the steps that Deirdre made from Newbridge.
“As to what might have happened? Was she being watched, was someone trailing her or what? We just don’t know, but you try to figure it out that in your mind.”
Mr Jacob said the family would plead with anyone with information to indicate where Deirdre could be found “so that we can have her back”.
