Gardaí and Jacob family renew appeal on 28th anniversary of Deirdre's murder
Hannah Kate Costello
An Garda Síochána and the family of Deirdre Jacob have renewed their appeal for information on the 28th anniversary of her disappearance, urging anyone with knowledge of her murder to come forward.
Jacob, then 18, was last seen on Tuesday, July 28th 1998, near her home in Roseberry, Newbridge, Co. Kildare at approximately 3pm. She would be 46 this year.
The Kildare teen had just completed her first year at St Mary's University in Twickenham, London.
On the day she disappeared, Jacob had walked into Newbridge town to organise a bank draft for £100.
CCTV footage tracked her movements through the town centre that afternoon.
At 2.14pm, she was seen walking on Main Street. 4-minutes later, she was recorded inside AIB bank obtaining the draft, before leaving a short time afterwards.
At 2.26pm Jacob was seen queuing in the post office, and 6-minutes later she stopped to speak with a friend outside on Main Street. The last confirmed sighting placed her outside PTSB bank on Main Street at 2.35pm. S
he was seen again for the final time near her family home shortly after 3pm.
At the time of her disappearance, Jacob was 5'3" with a slim build, grey/green eyes and dark, chin-length hair. She was wearing a navy V-neck T-shirt with white trim on the collar and sleeves, navy or black straight jeans and blue Nike runners.
She was carrying a black satchel bag that was never recovered, with the word "CAT" printed in large yellow capital letters on the side.
The case was initially treated as a missing persons investigation, but on the 20th anniversary of her disappearance, An Garda Síochána upgraded it to a murder investigation.
An incident room remains in place at Newbridge Garda Station, and An Garda Síochána regularly updates Deirdre’s parents, Michael and Bernadette, and her family through a designated Family Liaison Officer.
Gardaí are appealing directly to anyone who might be holding back information, however small it may seem. The investigating team is asking the public not to assume that details already known have "limited value" or that Gardaí are already aware of them.
Anyone with information in relation to this investigation should contact the investigation team at Newbridge Garda Station at (045) 440 180, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
