Family hail ‘miracle’ as woman, 80, found safe

A FAMILY’S prayers were answered yesterday when a grandmother, missing for three days, turned up safe and well.

A massive search, involving a rescue helicopter and sniffer dogs along with hundreds of neighbours and friends, had drawn a blank on missing Limerick woman Nora Mary King.

However, at 4.30pm yesterday, she walked into a house three miles away.

The 82-year-old, who suffers memory loss, said last night she didn’t realise her absence sparked a major alert. When told hundreds of people were searching for her, she said, “No, they weren’t, were they?”

A confused Mrs King believed she was with a cousin and that she was “only gone for two hours”.

She was reunited with her three daughters and two sons at the home of John Joe Sexton, Glenshesk, Templeglantine, about three-and-a-half miles from her Rathcahill, Monagea home near Newcastle West, where she went missing last Thursday.

Mr Sexton said he heard a door bell ringing constantly. “I went out and brought her in. I didn’t know the lady but then my wife realised who she was and contacted the gardaí.

“While we were waiting for the gardaí, she had three or four cups of tea. She was in good spirits, generally,” he said.

Family members said they had almost given up hope.

Nephew Liam Herlihy said he was searching at Rathcahill with Mrs King’s sons, John and Pat, when the good news came through.

“A huge cheer went up, it was like a county final win, we just couldn’t believe it. There were unbelievable scenes of joy and jubilation among the family and people involved in the search,” he said.

“The family is very grateful to everybody who assisted over the last few days. Our hearts were beginning to sink at that stage and then the good news came through.

“It’s a miracle she’s alive and well our prayers are answered.”

More than 600 volunteers, gardaí and rescue teams were involved in the search after Mrs King’s family raised the alarm. She was last seen walking with her bicycle between 9.30am and 10am on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a woman was yesterday lying in a Tipperary hospital unaware that her children pictured above) want her back home.

Deirdre Murray, 36, was missing from Belfast two months ago and was found last month in a confused state in Urlingford, Co Kilkenny.

The 36-year-old had no idea who she was or where she was from until her sisters Mary and Martine travelled to St Luke’s hospital in Clonmel to identify her.

Martine said yesterday: “She doesn’t even know that she has four children sitting at home waiting for her, worried out of their minds.”

They hope that photographs of the children, Francis, nine, Deirdre, 10, Natasha, 12, and 16-year-old Donna will help bring back her memory.

“Maybe she will just pick up a newspaper and it will all come flooding back to her,” Martine said. “We don’t want them to see their mummy if she has no idea who they are.”

Gardaí are still appealing to Claire Boylan from Dublin to contact her family. Ms Boylan, 36, has not been seen since March 2 when she travelled to Tullamore to visit a friend.