Gardaí search new location over 1996 murder of missing woman Fiona Pender
Ms Pender was and seven months pregnant when she went missing from her flat on Church Street, Tullamore, in August 1996.
Missing Fiona Pender and the scene of the search
Gardaí are searching a second location in relation to the 1996 disappearance and presumed murder of Fiona Pender.
In a statement on Wednesday, the force said that after searches in Co Offaly earlier this week, they were now searching in another area over the border in Co Laois.
"Gardaí investigating the disappearance and murder of Fiona Pender in August 1996 have today, Wednesday 28th May 2025, commenced another search operation on open ground at a location in Co. Laois. This area of land will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations,' the force said.
The scene of the search. Photo: Padraig O'Reilly
'This search forms part of a sustained investigation carried out by Gardaí in Laois/ Offaly Garda Division over the last 28-years to establish Fiona's whereabouts and to investigate the circumstances in which Fiona disappeared.'
The search of a remote area of bogland in rural Co Offaly in relation to the disappearance of Ms Pender (25) ended on Tuesday as gardaí hoped for a breakthrough in the nearly 29-year investigation.
Missing Fiona Pender and the scene of the search
News in 90 Seconds - May 28th
Ms Pender was and seven months pregnant when she went missing from her flat on Church Street, Tullamore, in August 1996.
Gardaí announced on Monday that an area of land at Graigue, close to the village of Killeigh, around 8km from Tullamore, would be searched as the investigation into Ms Pender's disappearance was upgraded to one of murder. The examination of the land finished yesterday afternoon.
It is understood gardaí received new information deemed credible enough to warrant the latest search and the upgrading of the investigation.
Fiona Pender has been missing since 1996
The land being searched was in a remote bog overgrown with trees and vegetation, accessible only by potholed dirt roads.
A cordon was placed on the access tracks, and a no-fly zone was established above the dig site to prevent drone use while the search took place.
In an update on Tuesday afternoon, gardaí said: 'Gardaí investigating the disappearance and murder of Fiona Pender have concluded the search operation on open ground at a location in Co Offaly.
'The results of the searches are not being released for operational reasons. An Garda Síochána have updated the family on any developments. Investigations are ongoing.'
Local people said they hoped the search would yield something that might bring some closure to the Pender family and that Tullamore, and the surrounding townlands had been living under a cloud since Ms Pender disappeared.
Sinn Féin councillor Aoife Masterson, who was eight years old when Ms Pender was reported missing, said the event had shaped her life and the lives of women in the town.
Gardaí search for the remains of missing Fiona Pender. Photo: Frank McGrath
'I grew up hearing prayers being said for her at mass. I remember the posters in shops and on poles fading as the years passed and falling off,' she said.
'And then in 2022 there was the murder of Ashling Murphy along the canal, not far from where the monument to Fiona stands on the canal bank. There really is an issue with violence against women in Tullamore and in wider Ireland. It's just shocking.
'Some things shape who you are as a young woman, and Fiona's disappearance has left its mark on the town. It's appalling.
'It has really stayed with me and I've devoted my life to those who aren't heard or whose voices have been silenced.
'Now that the investigation has been upgraded to murder, maybe there will be more resources put into it that might move things along, or that might encourage someone to come forward with information.
'There is the hope that whatever information gardaí are working from is significant and can bring answers.
'In relation to searches for Fiona, we've been here several times before in that we are waiting for answers. If we get answers, it won't be without pain. It is heartbreaking.'
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