Fiona Sinnott case: Land to be searched in Wexford 27 years after young mother vanished

Investigators launch a forensic search of open ground as part of the decades-old case into Fiona Sinnott’s suspected murder

Fiona Sinnott. File Picture

Gardaí have launched a search operation on open ground in Co Wexford as part of their investigation into the disappearance and murder of a woman 27 years ago.

Fiona Sinnott disappeared on the evening of Sunday, February 8, 1998. The 19-year-old mother-of-one was last seen socialising with friends at Butler's Pub in Broadway, not far from her home in Ballyhitt, Co Wexford. She left the pub around midnight and has not been seen since.

According to gardaí, a motorist reportedly saw a male and a female on the roadway near Kisha Cross, Broadway, on the night in question — around the time Fiona left the pub. Two other males, believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, were also spotted in the area at the time.

Despite numerous garda appeals over the years, none of these four individuals have ever been identified. Gardaí say they are eager to locate these people and anyone else who was nearby at the time but did not or could not come forward.

In 2005, Fiona Sinnott’s disappearance was upgraded to a murder investigation. That year, one man was arrested and detained on suspicion of her murder.

Five other people — three women and two men — were also detained in connection with Fiona’s disappearance and murder. However, no one has been charged as part of the garda investigation to date.

Gardaí and Fiona’s family have issued regular appeals for information on the anniversary of her disappearance, including direct appeals on Crimecall in February 2017 and a follow-up appeal in April 2017.

On Thursday morning, gardaí confirmed that an area of land in Wexford would be excavated and forensically examined in the coming days as part of the investigation into Fiona Sinnott’s murder.

A garda spokesperson said investigators are urging anyone with information related to Fiona’s disappearance and murder, and who has not already spoken to gardaí, to come forward.

"Gardaí continue to appeal to any person who may have previously come forward who felt they could not provide Gardaí with all the information they had in relation to this matter, to contact the investigation team again," the spokesperson said.

"An Garda Síochána appeals to anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you might believe it to be, to contact Wexford Garda Station on 053 9165200, or any Garda Station. Anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially should contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111."