Body of missing pensioner discovered in Italy one year on

THE body of a Limerick pensioner who vanished in northern Italy almost 18 months ago has been recovered.

The family of Máiréad Geary said they were advised by the Italian authorities that DNA tests had confirmed that remains found in the Stresa area last October are those of the 82-year-old.

The Limerick woman went missing on October 10, 2008 during a holiday on Lake Maggiore with 40 members of the Active Retirement Group.

The pensioner, from South Circular Road, was last seen when she went to take a cable car up to a viewing point on nearby Mount Mottarone.

Despite extensive searches by mountain rescue teams with sniffer dogs and a search and rescue helicopter, her body was not found for a year.

Ms Geary’s family thanked everyone involved in the operation.

In a statement they said: “The Geary family would like to express their gratitude to the Soccorso Alpino, the local Carabineri in Stresa, An Garda Síochána, the staff at the Embassy of Ireland in Rome and to all the volunteers who assisted in the search for Máiréad.”

They appealed for privacy at this difficult time.