Mystery surrounds missing woman’s car

SOMEBODY may have driven the car belonging to a 60-year-old Co Cork widow after she disappeared in suspicious circumstances.

It’s one of the theories gardaí are looking at as the search continues for Anne Corcoran from Kilbrittain.

Her green Peugeot 206, registration 01 C 4479, was discovered abandoned at Old Chapel, less than a mile from Bandon, at noon last Wednesday.

However, gardaí believe the same car was parked outside Bandon Bridge national school between Tuesday, January 20 and the following Saturday, January 24.

It was then driven, probably over that weekend, to Old Chapel and parked near a river on the Timoleague Road. It is possible that whoever drove it there then walked back into Bandon.

Gardaí are appealing for anybody who saw the car being moved from outside the national school, or parked at Old Chapel to contact them as they may possess vital information.

The widow has not been seen since January 16, when she was positively identified from CCTV footage entering a shop in Bandon.

Ms Corcoran’s disappearance has baffled gardaí because she was a very organised person. If she was going away she would contact her local gardaí and would not have left her two dogs alone in the house for so long.

In addition, nothing is missing from her home which would indicate she was going away.

Gardaí continued searching for the widow yesterday. They concentrated their efforts at woodland about half a mile from where the car was found. They also searched gardens and the road back into Bandon.

Further searches continued around the isolated farm she owns and in the surrounding neighbourhood.

“We are getting more and more concerned for her welfare,” Inspector Brendan Fogarty said.

He appealed for farmers in the area to check their land and outhouses.

Insp Fogarty said gardaí had received good co-operation from the public, but were still appealing for anybody who might have seen the car to come forward.

“We’d like to speak to anybody who dropped their children at Bandon Bridge national school and who might have seen the car. We are also anxious to speak to anybody who may have seen Ms Corcoran or somebody else in the vehicle either there or at Old Chapel,” the inspector said.

Councillor Kevin Murphy said Ms Corcoran was a constituent of his and her disappearance had left people living in Kilbrittain in a state of shock.

“She wouldn’t be the kind of woman who would just take off. I hope there is a positive outcome to this, but every hour that goes by makes that more and more unlikely,” Mr Murphy said.

Anybody with information is asked to contact Bandon Garda Station at 023-52200.