Faith sustains father of missing man
Michael Deely, a devout Catholic, said religion has always played a major role in his life, but even more so since Trevor vanished 11 years ago, aged 22.
He said he draws strength and comfort by going into his son’s bedroom twice every day to pray.
Mr Deely, who lives in Naas, Co Kildare, knows the ritual will be all the more poignant on Thursday, the 11th anniversary of his youngest child’s mysterious disappearance.
But the father-of-four said the daily custom and his unshakeable religious beliefs instil him with hope that he and his wife Ann will one day be reunited with Trevor.
As one of Ireland’s most high-profile missing person cases, the key facts of Trevor’s disappearance in the early hours of December 8, 2000 in Dublin are ingrained in many people’s memories.
But, agonisingly for the Deely family, who have mounted exhaustive campaigns to locate him ever since, both here and in Britain, not one decent lead as to Trevor’s whereabouts has emerged since.
Mr Deely, 69, who is originally from Loughrea, Co Galway, said: “Sadly, we’re still no further on than we were 11 years ago, when Trevor was last seen on CCTV.
“We’re living in hope, because it’s all we can do and we’ll never give up, because we can’t give up.
“Last year the gardaí released an age-enhanced photo of what he’d look like now and they searched and drained the canals two or three times now, but nothing came from that.
“There’s a huge awareness of him and everybody knows his name, which is vital for us. But it’s hugely frustrating and sometimes difficult to keep going, because we’re desperate for just a nugget of information. But we can’t lose hope and we have to keep on believing that Trevor is alive.
“I now have seven grandchildren, who Trevor has never met, from my three other children. And my dream is for Trevor to meet them.”
The last image captured of Trevor was on CCTV, walking down Haddington Road towards his flat in Ballsbridge at 4.14am on December 8, 2000, having previously returned to his office where he picked up an umbrella after a night out at Buck Whaley’s nightclub on Leeson Street. He rang his best friend Glen, leaving a message saying he had had a great night and would talk to him later.
But he has never been seen or heard from since.
As yet another anniversary approaches, Mr Deely is praying once again that a member of the public will contact the gardaí and pass on the vital lead that could finally bring closure and an end to his agony.
