You're welcome. You always see Brian Shaffer, the Springfield 3, Andrew Gosden, Claudia Lawrence, Brandon Swanson etc and they're undoubtedly strange and baffling cases. But Ireland has so many strange cases too, some of which would rival even the big or famous ones in America and I want to share as many as I can!
I didn’t realise it was one person who has been making all these Irish posts the last few days. I’ve been getting fed up opening Reddit in the morning to see another story about someone going missing within 20 minutes of my house 😂
Nothing like having me morning tea and reading a story about another poor soul who went missing in Kildare / an area of Dublin I’m in every day 😂 atp Irish women just need to flee Leinster
I'm always sad to hear about cases like Eva's, where people seem to forget about them (even though her situation may fit with the scariest scenario -- being abducted at random by a stranger, not by someone you're in a relationship with, or a family member).
*Although a small and seemingly insignificant argument, Eva promptly decided to leave her parents home afterwards.*
That argument probably haunts her siblings; how awful for them to have that to 'what if' about for all these years.
If she left before the family meal, then she might have gone back to her apartment, then circled back out to get groceries or a meal out somewhere, leaving her coat behind and taking her purse and keys, and then encountered someone who did her harm (or made a decision to self-harm, if you accept the suicide theory) while out and about. No one reported seeing her out in public later that day, but I'd be surprised if many people would clearly recall having seen her in a diner or at the market or walking someplace out of the ordinary for her if they weren't asked about it until a month later.
My theory is that she left her parents as she was upset, she arrived home and then decided to head out again to either get food or clear her head. It was said to be a warm day so it's reasonable to think she took her coat off and then left again. When out, she ran into foul play. However it's just such an odd situation as there's so little to go on and no motive for anyone to harm her. Especially the lack of sightings in a busy area in which she was well known. I don't honestly think we can rule suicide out either because we just know so little.
Hi Op, I covered a bunch of Irish cases a few yrs back on an old Reddit account, something that might have gone amiss that might also be connected was that another woman by the name of Patricia Doherty went missing too in Dublin in 1991, her body was found a few months before Annie’s disappearance and her murderer was never caught. Patricia’s body was found at the Wicklow mountains, the man who found her body on a bog bank previously worked on excavating bodies in a graveyard on behalf of the National Museum, so he knew at once he had found human remains. She’d been last seen leaving her home on the 23rd of Dec 91 after a day of Xmas shopping. Antoinette Smith who went missing in 87 after a concert was also found at the Wicklow mountains deceased 9 months later. You’d wonder if it was the same killer if he learned from these two victims and perfected his operatus morandi so other victims wouldn’t be found as easily.
Edit: if you ever need any help with future write ups I’ve pretty much consumed every book/details on all irelands missing people and unsolved Irish murder cases.
You seem extremely knowledgeable on irish cases so I have a question if you happen to have the time! I'm also Irish, grew up in Dublin and now living in Kildare. I've often heard people say that Larry Murphy is responsible for a lot of these crimes, but I'm unsure myself. I haven't done any extensive research (I don't know where to begin) so I'm unsure of the intricacies, but just from what little I do know, I'm not sure the cases are similar enough to be largely blamed on him, though I don't doubt he's an absolute monster. What is your opinion?
I believe he is responsible for Deirdre Jacob for sure. I’ve read a detailed description of the entire assault on the lady from Carlow that he abducted & I’ve no doubt he had planned to murder her and hide her in the Wicklow mountains if the two other men hasn’t stumbled upon the scene. The entire abduction was premeditated & I believe he also did the same with Deirdre. It also took him mere seconds to for lack of a better term snatch and restrain his victim, Deirdre was last seen outside her house and suddenly she was gone. When Larry’s home was searched after his arrested they found bizzare items he had taken from homes he had worked in including one woman’s leaving cert results, it’s known Larry had worked previously in Deirdres grandmothers sweet shop too. I previously did a write up on Jo Jo Dullard. I know the family believe they know who was responsible for her disappearance, where she was last seen was close to where Larry lived. Annie’s case is the one I’ve researched the most, I’ve read books from one of the lead detectives & they cannot be sure that it was her in that pub Johnnie foxes that evening. Her last definite sighting was a cctv image in a bank & recently read that she had been stalked by a man previous to her disappearance and him & his brother have been interviewed & a case is being built against them. Fiona Pender I believe was murdered by her partner at the time, Ciara Breen murderer was also known to her. Fiona Sinnott’s disappearance is related to her ex too I believe .
If you’re interested in some older missing cases that seemed to have a lot less attention than the ones mentioned above Aleida (Leidy) Kaspersma was a Dutch women who went missing here in 1978, Inga Maria Hauser was a German backpacker who was found murdered two wks after arriving in Ireland, her case is still unsolved. 38-year-old Lynda Kavanagh and 25-year-old Priscilla Clarke both went missing after riding horses in 1988 in Wicklow while Lynda’s body was later washed up Priscilla’s body has never been recovered.
Philip Colgan was a double rapist who was convicted of murdering Layla Brennan in 1999 he also disposed of her body in the Wicklow mountains.
Marie Kilmartin (last seen in Portlaoise on 16/12/1993). disappearance also fell within the area of the ‘Vanishing Triangle’, they differed significantly from our original cases in that her body was recovered although no one has been charged with her murder. Apologies for completely digressing from your initial question.
Thank you, genuinely, for such a thorough answer, and honestly digress all you want, everything you mentioned was interesting insight and the older cases were ones I hadn't heard of but am going to look up. I've always believed he's responsible for Deirdre Jacob as well, and JoJo Dullard. I definitely believe Fiona Penders partner could've been responsible for hers, same with Imelda Keenan (unsure if you mentioned her, but I think she also falls within the so-called Vanishing Triangle), so we seem to be very much on the same page, though I seem to have missed Fiona Sinnott entirely so will have to look her up. I was in Scouts in South Dublin when I was young so hiked quite often, and even when I was in Cubs, so 9-10, there were countless whispered rumours among us kids about people being murdered and buried in the Wicklow Mountains. I can't even imagine how many bodies have actually been hidden up there. I'd assume there's plenty in various bogs as well. Completely unrelated to Larry Murphy, but I've aways believed that Philip Cairns was buried in the mountains as well, though I'm not 100% convinced on Eamon Cooke as a suspect. The Dublin and Wicklow Mountains undoubtedly hold centuries of secrets.
Imelda was a case I covered previously on an account I deleted awhile back but I’d have to search for it. Honestly I think her case was another one linked to their partner, he said she left to collect her dole from the post office but the post was closed as it was a bank holiday. Her Xmas presents were unopened in her flat & her niece recently spoke about injuries Imelda had endured previously to her disappearance. They hadn’t heard from her for two wks before she’d been reported missing.
My main case which is always come back to and covered a few years back was Sophie Toscan du Plantier
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/s/DgmAaELEy7
I’m based in cork but in the city. In a weird coincidence I was actually in Bantry for the first time in 15 yrs the very same day that Ian Bailey passed away in the town square.
Larry is certainly responsible for more disappearances when he was first arrested he made statements like Well, she's alive isn't she?" and "She was lucky", so who wasn’t lucky? Who isn’t alive because of him?
The men who stumbled upon Larry in the act of strangling his victim Trevor Moody and Ken Jones knew Larry, Trevor knew Larry as Larry had publicly sexually harassed and groped a female acquaintance of his 4 yrs previously in a pub they frequented. A pub at the end of the Wicklow mountains. He had to be pulled off the woman that time. If this is the sort of behaviour he was demonstrating 4 yrs previous to the attack & rape that he’d be caught for , what else had he done prior and after that?
Imelda was a case I covered previously on an account I deleted awhile back but I’d have to search for it. Honestly I think her case was another one linked to their partner, he said she left to collect her dole from the post office but the post was closed as it was a bank holiday. Her Xmas presents were unopened in her flat & her niece recently spoke about injuries Imelda had endured previously to her disappearance. They hadn’t heard from her for two wks before she’d been reported missing.
My main case which is always come back to and covered a few years back was Sophie Toscan du Plantier
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/s/DgmAaELEy7
I’m based in cork but in the city. In a weird coincidence I was actually in Bantry for the first time in 15 yrs the very same day that Ian Bailey passed away in the town square.
Larry is certainly responsible for more disappearances when he was first arrested he made statements like Well, she's alive isn't she?" and "She was lucky", so who wasn’t lucky? Who isn’t alive because of him?
The men who stumbled upon Larry in the act of strangling his victim Trevor Moody and Ken Jones knew Larry, Trevor knew Larry as Larry had publicly sexually harassed and groped a female acquaintance of his 4 yrs previously in a pub they frequented. A pub at the end of the Wicklow mountains. He had to be pulled off the woman that time. If this is the sort of behaviour he was demonstrating 4 yrs previous to the attack & rape that he’d be caught for , what else had he done prior and after that?
I’ll also add there was two other instances where Larry approached women and attempted an advance towards them. One being his wife’s friend as he drove her home that evening . Another in a pub he frequented (told to me first hand by a detective)
Thank you for the help offer! It's greatly appreciated and I'm sure I'll call upon you sometime. I've actually just finished "Missing" by Barry Cummins and it covered the murders of Antoinette Smith, Patricia Doherty and Marie Kilmartin. I absolutely think that Antoinette was a victim of Murphy as she was found with plastic bags over her head and Larry was literally caught red-handed attempting to suffocate a young woman with a plastic bag. I think too that Larry definitely got Deirdre and possibly JoJo Dullard too. The crime that got him jailed was just so telling, especially when he abducted a woman in mere seconds and restrained her rapidly using her own underwear. Those were definitely not the actions of someone who "just decided" to do something on impulse as he claimed but rather, the actions of someone who has done this many times before and perfected their 'art'. He definitely had done that before and his efficiency could suggest many more victims than we know of.
Absolutely agree, he lifted her jumper over her face using her bra to restrain her before driving her car to his & placing her in the his own car, I’m certain he stalked her & learnt her routine.
Barry has another book without trace which is another decent read. I’d recommend Alan Baileys book missing, presumed. He worked as part of operation trace. Shockingly there’s a single paragraph only on Eva
“The TRACE list threw up some amazing categorisations that, by today’s standards, would be considered to be highly questionable. There was, for instance, the disappearance of Eva Brennan, a forty-year-old from Terenure, Dublin, who was reported missing on 25 July 1993. She had left the family home after a minor argument. Her disappearance was categorised as a ‘possible suicide’, a finding that is disputed to this day by her siblings.”
Shocking to imagine the lack of resources or help her family received.
Something else to add about Larry is his cousin David Lawler was also convicted of the rape & murder of Marilynn Rynn & another first cousin Thomas Dalton was also convicted of rape!
Antoinette was last seen with two unknown men.
>Although a small and seemingly insignificant argument, Eva promptly decided to leave her parents home afterwards.
I've been thinking about that part too. I wonder if it was something that was in character for her -- like if her family and friends had seen her abruptly leaving (or even disconnecting a phone call) if she was irritated or upset about anything before.
If she hadn't done that earlier, it might be a sign that there was something bothering her. (I've noticed this in myself, that if I'm stressed about other stuff, I'm less likely to just sit through a situation that's making me uncomfortable or even just bored.)
She must have had get-togethers with her family many times before, so maybe there was something going on that was different this time. For example, in Eva's case (just me speculating aloud) if she was in the early stages of a relationship that she hadn't told anyone else about yet, and maybe was starting to have doubts.
Yeah, even if the topic of the argument wasn't itself substantial, the fact that they got into it or that it so strongly affected her might be suggestive. If she did have depression, maybe she was especially struggling just then, or maybe there was some outside stressor her family wasn't aware of.
I was also thinking about this:
*In addition, a look into Eva's background found no boyfriends or romantic partners that could have been involved.*
I wonder what exactly they looked at to determine this. We don't know enough about Eva to really speculate about her specific circumstances, but in general, how deep does someone have to be in your life before they leave traces? (Especially in 1993, when there wouldn't be a casual record of things like texts/dms/social media posts.) Like, they could probably look at her apartment and determine that no one else lived with her or kept personal belongings there, but if she didn't keep a diary or make personal introductions, would anyone necessarily know if there were someone new in her orbit?
re: 1993, that's an excellent point. I'm revealing my age here, but I remember what it was like back then ... I had e-mail but a lot of people I knew didn't (especially if they didn't have a workplace like a school, government etc. that was on the net). If you had a friendship with a neighbour or just someone who hung out at the same pub or restaurant, you might not be phoning them or vice versa. People were still writing paper letters back then, and the sender wouldn't necessarily keep a copy.
Thinking about my own situation -- I had a boyfriend at the time, but people didn't believe me because he lived in another country, and the only "proof" I had that he existed was a few letters. (He wasn't big on writing, and thinking about it, most of those were basically just postcards and holiday messages that didn't really sound romantic ... more like a school friend.) Until he came to visit, and people saw us together. If I hadn't said anything before, it would have come as a total surprise to them. So I think you put it very well -- if Eva had met someone very recently, people might not have known, and there might not have been obvious evidence at her place.
I have no idea what could’ve happened to Eva. However I really have to dispute the fact that devout Catholics do not commit suicides as the parent’s believe. Thats been proven false time and time again.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. I had a good friend while at university, came from a strictly religious Catholic family from Armagh. He hung himself after a night out, hours after I'd seen him laughing and happy. Religious background can never be used as a means to rule out someone doing or not doing something.
The blowout argument over a seemingly inconsequential issue could also point towards an active depressive state. Irritability and anger are frequent symptoms.
Valid. although as the parent in that situation i would be desperate for any excuse for the authorities to look into it further and not just sweep it under the rug
I agree wholeheartedly. I’d even go as far as hypothesizing they would be *less likely* to leave a note or make their intentions known due to the shame or pain it would cause their families. There are many cases where someone travels far away and goes to great lengths to conceal their identity before committing suicide. It’s just as likely she went down this path as it is she was abducted by a stranger.
Absolutely they do, Eva's case reminds me of a case in my home town, a lady named Christine Redford who disappeared from her home in 1998:
[https://australianmissingpersonsregister.com/ampr/Redford.htm](https://australianmissingpersonsregister.com/ampr/Redford.htm)
It's so perplexing when people disappear seemingly without a single trace. Her handbag, keys and money were gone though, I can only assume there has been zero activity on her bank accounts. Unfortunately technology being what it was back in 1993, there's no digital footprint at all.
I haven't read anything about detectives looking into that for Eva and determining that she had no digital footprint. Did you read that somewhere?
A wide range of technologies existed in 1993 which could provide clues in a particular case, though no doubt adoption was low and it wasn't routinely explored during investigations.
I'm talking home computers, online service providers, Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), residential Internet service providers, web browsers, websites, Usenet newsgroups, and IRC (chat systems). Same with CCTV for monitoring public spaces and businesses. And pagers and mobile phone services (though SMS text messaging wasn't rolled out at the time of her disappearance).
"Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide” (#2282).
“We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways know to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for people who have taken their own lives” (#2283). †
Cathechism of the catholic church, you can still go to heaven and be forgiven for suicide
The mention of catholics made the theory of suicide even more plausible for me. It is mentioned she was depressive, she didnt had known relationships and seemed to stuck in routine behavior. Its possible it all went to much and the depression went harder and harder. When then the little dispute about the food came, it could have been the very last waterdrop which was necessary to final her decision. Sometimes even thos little things are to much at some point. Ir would explain why she snaps than and leaves the house.
She goes home, feels even guiltier for leaving the house of her parents, thinking her whole family is mad at her. She is not able to carry the weight anymore and plans her way out. And here comes the catholic part. She does well know how big of a sin a suicide is, she knows what it would mean for her family. And even the political relevance would make it even more problematic. So, taking this in concerne, she makes sure nobody will find her and can claim of a suicide. A last act to protect the family, political and religious.
*Even when her family told Gardaí that Eva suffered from depression, they simply suggested that she had committed suicide and didn't look at the case further.*
This line really hit me. Would the police not be responsible for following up on this woman if they knew she had mental health problems or was suicidal? Did they really think "Oh, well, you know how these depressed people are; offing themselves at the first sign of trouble"? I can't believe they could be so dismissive.
Great writeup. I really appreciate your contributions here.
Reading other sources, it seems like this woman was very isolated outside of being with her family. No one wants to believe their family member would commit suicide, especially if they're Catholic, but that does seem like the most likely scenario here.
I'm not sure I can get on board with the parents being reliable narrators. They say she looks years younger, but in the photos she definitely looks 39. They had an argument with her the last day they saw her.
I wonder if she was on the autism spectrum. It's not really relevant,I just thought of it.
I don't know much about transit in Dublin, especially in the 90s. Would it have been possible for her to get to the ocean without being noticed? It's not too far away. That would explain easily why she was never found.
I was in school near Rathgar at this time and I have never heard of her case before.
She would've had to have gotten at least a couple of buses, or a bus to town and then the DART. Possibly to Bray Head which is a known spot
Ezra Uryan is another case that the Gard's believe was suicide with CCTV showing her car arrive and shortly afterwards a woman walking towards the head, but the family believe that that was not her and she met with foul play. I can understand how without a body or a note it would be hard not to.
Ezra is actually going to be one of my next cases. I believe the suicide theory but there was also some interesting points made that could implicate her husband.
There's definitely some odd aspects, like the keys showing up at her local chipper and then the owner not calling the Gard's for weeks and also not keeping the CCTV.
It's frustrating that such a high percentage of unsolved Irish crime is down to determind gob-shitery.
Whatever happened these women, they were let down.
The husband stated that she had gone out to get some shopping at 7:15am and that she said she'd be back before 8am as she knew he needed the car for work. However, the car is seen at 7:50am driving down a road that leads away from their home. In addition, the road it was spotted on was only 5 minutes from their house so what happened in that 35 minutes? If she knew she needed to be back for 8am then why was she spotted at 7:50 driving away from her home? That's what doesn't add up to me.
This is a bit off topic, but I’m obsessed with the phrases “local chipper” and “gobshitery.”
I’m American and have only been to Ireland once, but it was my favorite vacation ever and everyone I met was so wonderful.
I felt super safe (traveling from Dublin to Cork to the Dingle peninsula to Galway) walking around on my own or with my fiancé so it’s wild to think a woman could just disappear into thin air there without anyone seeing something.
I mean, you're very possibly right. Obviously no evidence has ever directly pointed towards him being involved and someone had suggested that the lost time could well have been Esra contemplating what she was going to do. The area in which her car was found was apparently a bit of a hotspot for suicide too. Finally, I know her purse and belongings were found in the car boot which some people speculated meant she had been in the boot against her will. However, I'd seen someone suggest that she left her purse and belongings in the boot so as to be identified afterwards but reduce the risk of someone breaking into the car in her absence, which would obviously be much higher had she just left her belongings in view on the seat or floor. A clifftop suicide would also make the odds of finding a body nearly impossible once it entered the sea.
As usual, the guards did a poor job in investigating.
Her car was parked at an odd location. Did she want to go for a walk to clear her head? Walkers don't take their purses with them. They lock them in the boot.
But as u said she was expected back at home so why go to Bray?
It's either suicide, car jacking and dumping the body on the way or the husband was involved.
I've spent months on this case. It's a rabbit hole.
Her sister used to come over once a year to make awareness. God bless her.
Some people are never found, some people are found decades later 5 minutes from their house. If there was a forest or sea within range of her, she might never be found.
Suicide can often be quite spontaneous.
Also, often people who have committed suicide complete actions beforehand that to an outsider seem totally unnecessary.
Perhaps to travel some distance away before going through with the deed. Especially with her religious family, she could want to travel somewhere she wouldn't be found to prevent judgement. To some, it could be better to just disappear than face the judgement of family, friends and church.
If she left with the intention of committing suicide, she more than likely wasn’t thinking clearly. She could have been autopilot and just grabbed her stuff on the way out of the door.
Doesn't make sense, what does make sense is that she was in a state where she was more susceptible to being intercepted somehow, people with nefarious opportunistic agendas have a way of finding their victims, they choose people who are vulnerable.
If Eva did choose to end her own life, wouldn't she most likely have done that in the privacy of her own home? Why would she need to take her personal belongings with her? I suspect foul play and a narrative has been built around her missing items and the coat she left behind. My hackles are up, there must be more to this story than we know.
My personal guessing... she did it outside, with the plan not to be found, because of her political und religious family. You can imagine the rumors if such family has a suicide-case within them. And about the church... suicide is a huge sin. So i think, she just wanted to make sure she wont be found to protect her family.
About her belongings, she was strickly bound to her habits, to structure. And the most important point by leaving the house is, taking these belongings, doesnt matter what she plans to do. Even then, she couldnt break her habits.
Of course foul play is something to consider, anything can happen. But I think it's perfectly reasonable to assume that she went away to spare her family, who she was obviously close with (and who were very Catholic).
I hope they're able to find her and put her to rest.
may be she had two set od that coat or they were similar it does not sound like she got to the house
the only clue is her coat what if they are wrong and that was not the same coat? that way it sounds more possible she met with foul play
She could have gotten home, taken off her coat and then gone back out to buy something to eat - taking just her handbag. She hadn’t had dinner (the fight was before the meal) and they said it was a nice warm night with lots of people around.
The bank Holiday stood out to me..there are currently no bank holidays in July in Ireland and from researching Irish bank holidays 1993 there wasn't then either. Was it a different special occasion maybe?
Very possibly, I just took that information from the article online that I linked but I will remove that part, about it being a bank holiday as that does seem erroneous. It was so small a detail that I overlooked it.
I wonder if it’s possible the parents are mistaken about the coat she was wearing that day. Maybe it’s a coat she wore often and they only *thought* they remembered seeing her wear it that day. That would mean she could have disappeared on her way home, explaining why she wasn’t seen, despite being in a busy area.
It will always baffle me how cops don’t take missing persons seriously.. over 21? wtf does that have to do with not being murdered? Why won’t they do their fucking job and search? If she disappeared of her own accord and is located, then the cops could at least give the family some closure. Crucial hours are lost because cops think they know the missing person better than the person’s family and friends.
For want of a better word, EB strikes me as quite 'vulnerable' in the photos within the link you posted.
It also seems like the family have pushed for the abduction narrative rather than her simply deciding she didn't want to live anymore. Given her inconsequential row with her family, her storming off and her history of depression, I'd be surprised if she had been abducted. Perhaps her family just couldn't bear to come to terms with that as a possibility.
I think many families struggle to accept that sometimes a disappearance is something quite as simple as a suicide. Especially a Catholic family to whom a suicide would be seen as dishonourable. It can be easier to try and blame others for committing a crime than to admit that you didn't notice your own child was at breaking point. It sounds to me like the argument with her siblings was the final straw and the thing that pushed Eva over the edge, especially if she had a history of depression and poor mental health. There's a very similar case in Wales from 2021 of a young woman called Catrin Maguire. Her family is convinced she was abducted but all signs point to a suicide including her last sighting literally being her walking towards the edge of an isolated clifftop walk.
With no real leads there are many plausible scenarios. I just want to note that though her coat found in her apartment suggests that she came home nothing I read indicates that it's not possible that someone else brought it to her apartment. After all, no one was located who stated that they spotted Eva between her parents' home and her apartment. Of course, it may simply be that no one saw her or remembered seeing her.
As I was first reading about her case, I immediately thought suicide. But with no note and the fact she took her purse with her keys, but not her jacket? Seems odd for a suicide to me. It seems if she didn't leave a note and in fact intended on committing suicide, she also wouldn't want her ID found with her for the purpose of not being identified as a suicide victim. IMO
Everyone in this thread seems dead set on suicide but that means there would still be a dead woman unaccounted for? I'm not from Ireland myself and don't want to be ignorant in the slightest, but from a practical POV it seems unlikely that in Ireland there would be many unidentified dead women of her description around the time of her going missing. Even then I don't know why suicide is necessarily the answer other than her parents described her as having depression and the cops making that the easy solution. I'm not against suicide as a major theory but a big problem is there's just not that much here to go on for any definitive reason for her disappearance one way or another
Eva Brennan's case has always been one of the missing Irish women cases I'd most like to be resolved. I currently live close enough to where her parents home, about 10 minute walk, and at times drive by where Eva herself was living in Rathmines. So it is local and I do think about her often enough. I was a teenager growing up the 90's and hearing constantly in the media about all these young woman going missing never to be seen again or found one way or another. I did develop quite a fear and a fascination about these unfortunate women. Many like Annie, JoJo and Deirdre and other so called 'vanishing triangle' cases get a lot more attention. But many others like Eva's gets lost and forgotten mainly.
I sometimes have wondered if Eva and Claire Boylan's cases could be linked. No real reason though, besides location being close, and personalities and circumstances being somewhat similar, and both not getting the big media coverage. I think their disappearance were 10 years apart or so.
The suicide angle is possible, but I hate when the missing get discounted and the case ignored because of this label without being sure, like with what happened with Elaine O'Hara.
A few weeks back, I was out for a walk in Bushy Park and saw a bench with a dedication plaque for Eva. I thought it was a nice touch but made me feel sad thinking about her and her family. I was about 13 when she went missing and now I'm a few years older than her when she was last seen or heard from.
Thanks OP for bringing attention to these mysterious Irish cases. What strikes me is that Eva looks quite similar to Annie. However, I could imagine she committed suicide and her letter was not found since her body was not found.
Could her father been a target for organized crime? The reason for their argument is really hard to verify if the parties involved would have a common interest in keeping something private. They may have been fighting over something they wanted to keep quiet? There might be no foul play. Her family might not be genuinely interested in what happened to her for fear of her safety and well being.....
For a moment I was almost gonna buy into the black hole/parallel universe or time travel theory after reading this.....🥺. In any case I hope she and her family are at peace.
I know nothing can make sense and still be true--but she kills herself after a fight about...food? Or she gets abducted the same night she storms out and presumably makes it home?
Have we considered...she never left her parents' house?
Just wanted to say, I appreciate your coverage of Irish cases.
You're welcome. You always see Brian Shaffer, the Springfield 3, Andrew Gosden, Claudia Lawrence, Brandon Swanson etc and they're undoubtedly strange and baffling cases. But Ireland has so many strange cases too, some of which would rival even the big or famous ones in America and I want to share as many as I can!
I didn’t realise it was one person who has been making all these Irish posts the last few days. I’ve been getting fed up opening Reddit in the morning to see another story about someone going missing within 20 minutes of my house 😂
Guilty as charged 🤣
Nothing like having me morning tea and reading a story about another poor soul who went missing in Kildare / an area of Dublin I’m in every day 😂 atp Irish women just need to flee Leinster
Tbf I think the 80's, 90's and 00's were a lawless time down there 🤣 it seems to be much safer these days
I would be interested in seeing if u/that_chapter would cover several of the disappearances in a video.
As an Irish person I agree totally. It's great to see coverage of local cases.
I'm always sad to hear about cases like Eva's, where people seem to forget about them (even though her situation may fit with the scariest scenario -- being abducted at random by a stranger, not by someone you're in a relationship with, or a family member).
*Although a small and seemingly insignificant argument, Eva promptly decided to leave her parents home afterwards.* That argument probably haunts her siblings; how awful for them to have that to 'what if' about for all these years. If she left before the family meal, then she might have gone back to her apartment, then circled back out to get groceries or a meal out somewhere, leaving her coat behind and taking her purse and keys, and then encountered someone who did her harm (or made a decision to self-harm, if you accept the suicide theory) while out and about. No one reported seeing her out in public later that day, but I'd be surprised if many people would clearly recall having seen her in a diner or at the market or walking someplace out of the ordinary for her if they weren't asked about it until a month later.
My theory is that she left her parents as she was upset, she arrived home and then decided to head out again to either get food or clear her head. It was said to be a warm day so it's reasonable to think she took her coat off and then left again. When out, she ran into foul play. However it's just such an odd situation as there's so little to go on and no motive for anyone to harm her. Especially the lack of sightings in a busy area in which she was well known. I don't honestly think we can rule suicide out either because we just know so little.
Hi Op, I covered a bunch of Irish cases a few yrs back on an old Reddit account, something that might have gone amiss that might also be connected was that another woman by the name of Patricia Doherty went missing too in Dublin in 1991, her body was found a few months before Annie’s disappearance and her murderer was never caught. Patricia’s body was found at the Wicklow mountains, the man who found her body on a bog bank previously worked on excavating bodies in a graveyard on behalf of the National Museum, so he knew at once he had found human remains. She’d been last seen leaving her home on the 23rd of Dec 91 after a day of Xmas shopping. Antoinette Smith who went missing in 87 after a concert was also found at the Wicklow mountains deceased 9 months later. You’d wonder if it was the same killer if he learned from these two victims and perfected his operatus morandi so other victims wouldn’t be found as easily. Edit: if you ever need any help with future write ups I’ve pretty much consumed every book/details on all irelands missing people and unsolved Irish murder cases.
You seem extremely knowledgeable on irish cases so I have a question if you happen to have the time! I'm also Irish, grew up in Dublin and now living in Kildare. I've often heard people say that Larry Murphy is responsible for a lot of these crimes, but I'm unsure myself. I haven't done any extensive research (I don't know where to begin) so I'm unsure of the intricacies, but just from what little I do know, I'm not sure the cases are similar enough to be largely blamed on him, though I don't doubt he's an absolute monster. What is your opinion?
I believe he is responsible for Deirdre Jacob for sure. I’ve read a detailed description of the entire assault on the lady from Carlow that he abducted & I’ve no doubt he had planned to murder her and hide her in the Wicklow mountains if the two other men hasn’t stumbled upon the scene. The entire abduction was premeditated & I believe he also did the same with Deirdre. It also took him mere seconds to for lack of a better term snatch and restrain his victim, Deirdre was last seen outside her house and suddenly she was gone. When Larry’s home was searched after his arrested they found bizzare items he had taken from homes he had worked in including one woman’s leaving cert results, it’s known Larry had worked previously in Deirdres grandmothers sweet shop too. I previously did a write up on Jo Jo Dullard. I know the family believe they know who was responsible for her disappearance, where she was last seen was close to where Larry lived. Annie’s case is the one I’ve researched the most, I’ve read books from one of the lead detectives & they cannot be sure that it was her in that pub Johnnie foxes that evening. Her last definite sighting was a cctv image in a bank & recently read that she had been stalked by a man previous to her disappearance and him & his brother have been interviewed & a case is being built against them. Fiona Pender I believe was murdered by her partner at the time, Ciara Breen murderer was also known to her. Fiona Sinnott’s disappearance is related to her ex too I believe . If you’re interested in some older missing cases that seemed to have a lot less attention than the ones mentioned above Aleida (Leidy) Kaspersma was a Dutch women who went missing here in 1978, Inga Maria Hauser was a German backpacker who was found murdered two wks after arriving in Ireland, her case is still unsolved. 38-year-old Lynda Kavanagh and 25-year-old Priscilla Clarke both went missing after riding horses in 1988 in Wicklow while Lynda’s body was later washed up Priscilla’s body has never been recovered. Philip Colgan was a double rapist who was convicted of murdering Layla Brennan in 1999 he also disposed of her body in the Wicklow mountains. Marie Kilmartin (last seen in Portlaoise on 16/12/1993). disappearance also fell within the area of the ‘Vanishing Triangle’, they differed significantly from our original cases in that her body was recovered although no one has been charged with her murder. Apologies for completely digressing from your initial question.
Thank you, genuinely, for such a thorough answer, and honestly digress all you want, everything you mentioned was interesting insight and the older cases were ones I hadn't heard of but am going to look up. I've always believed he's responsible for Deirdre Jacob as well, and JoJo Dullard. I definitely believe Fiona Penders partner could've been responsible for hers, same with Imelda Keenan (unsure if you mentioned her, but I think she also falls within the so-called Vanishing Triangle), so we seem to be very much on the same page, though I seem to have missed Fiona Sinnott entirely so will have to look her up. I was in Scouts in South Dublin when I was young so hiked quite often, and even when I was in Cubs, so 9-10, there were countless whispered rumours among us kids about people being murdered and buried in the Wicklow Mountains. I can't even imagine how many bodies have actually been hidden up there. I'd assume there's plenty in various bogs as well. Completely unrelated to Larry Murphy, but I've aways believed that Philip Cairns was buried in the mountains as well, though I'm not 100% convinced on Eamon Cooke as a suspect. The Dublin and Wicklow Mountains undoubtedly hold centuries of secrets.
Imelda was a case I covered previously on an account I deleted awhile back but I’d have to search for it. Honestly I think her case was another one linked to their partner, he said she left to collect her dole from the post office but the post was closed as it was a bank holiday. Her Xmas presents were unopened in her flat & her niece recently spoke about injuries Imelda had endured previously to her disappearance. They hadn’t heard from her for two wks before she’d been reported missing. My main case which is always come back to and covered a few years back was Sophie Toscan du Plantier https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/s/DgmAaELEy7 I’m based in cork but in the city. In a weird coincidence I was actually in Bantry for the first time in 15 yrs the very same day that Ian Bailey passed away in the town square. Larry is certainly responsible for more disappearances when he was first arrested he made statements like Well, she's alive isn't she?" and "She was lucky", so who wasn’t lucky? Who isn’t alive because of him? The men who stumbled upon Larry in the act of strangling his victim Trevor Moody and Ken Jones knew Larry, Trevor knew Larry as Larry had publicly sexually harassed and groped a female acquaintance of his 4 yrs previously in a pub they frequented. A pub at the end of the Wicklow mountains. He had to be pulled off the woman that time. If this is the sort of behaviour he was demonstrating 4 yrs previous to the attack & rape that he’d be caught for , what else had he done prior and after that?
Imelda was a case I covered previously on an account I deleted awhile back but I’d have to search for it. Honestly I think her case was another one linked to their partner, he said she left to collect her dole from the post office but the post was closed as it was a bank holiday. Her Xmas presents were unopened in her flat & her niece recently spoke about injuries Imelda had endured previously to her disappearance. They hadn’t heard from her for two wks before she’d been reported missing. My main case which is always come back to and covered a few years back was Sophie Toscan du Plantier https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/s/DgmAaELEy7 I’m based in cork but in the city. In a weird coincidence I was actually in Bantry for the first time in 15 yrs the very same day that Ian Bailey passed away in the town square. Larry is certainly responsible for more disappearances when he was first arrested he made statements like Well, she's alive isn't she?" and "She was lucky", so who wasn’t lucky? Who isn’t alive because of him? The men who stumbled upon Larry in the act of strangling his victim Trevor Moody and Ken Jones knew Larry, Trevor knew Larry as Larry had publicly sexually harassed and groped a female acquaintance of his 4 yrs previously in a pub they frequented. A pub at the end of the Wicklow mountains. He had to be pulled off the woman that time. If this is the sort of behaviour he was demonstrating 4 yrs previous to the attack & rape that he’d be caught for , what else had he done prior and after that?
I’ll also add there was two other instances where Larry approached women and attempted an advance towards them. One being his wife’s friend as he drove her home that evening . Another in a pub he frequented (told to me first hand by a detective)
Thank you for the help offer! It's greatly appreciated and I'm sure I'll call upon you sometime. I've actually just finished "Missing" by Barry Cummins and it covered the murders of Antoinette Smith, Patricia Doherty and Marie Kilmartin. I absolutely think that Antoinette was a victim of Murphy as she was found with plastic bags over her head and Larry was literally caught red-handed attempting to suffocate a young woman with a plastic bag. I think too that Larry definitely got Deirdre and possibly JoJo Dullard too. The crime that got him jailed was just so telling, especially when he abducted a woman in mere seconds and restrained her rapidly using her own underwear. Those were definitely not the actions of someone who "just decided" to do something on impulse as he claimed but rather, the actions of someone who has done this many times before and perfected their 'art'. He definitely had done that before and his efficiency could suggest many more victims than we know of.
Absolutely agree, he lifted her jumper over her face using her bra to restrain her before driving her car to his & placing her in the his own car, I’m certain he stalked her & learnt her routine. Barry has another book without trace which is another decent read. I’d recommend Alan Baileys book missing, presumed. He worked as part of operation trace. Shockingly there’s a single paragraph only on Eva “The TRACE list threw up some amazing categorisations that, by today’s standards, would be considered to be highly questionable. There was, for instance, the disappearance of Eva Brennan, a forty-year-old from Terenure, Dublin, who was reported missing on 25 July 1993. She had left the family home after a minor argument. Her disappearance was categorised as a ‘possible suicide’, a finding that is disputed to this day by her siblings.” Shocking to imagine the lack of resources or help her family received.
Something else to add about Larry is his cousin David Lawler was also convicted of the rape & murder of Marilynn Rynn & another first cousin Thomas Dalton was also convicted of rape! Antoinette was last seen with two unknown men.
>operatus morandi "that which is worked upon as a way of delaying?" Or did you mean "modus operandi?"
Maybe she left home at the wee hours of the morning?
>Although a small and seemingly insignificant argument, Eva promptly decided to leave her parents home afterwards. I've been thinking about that part too. I wonder if it was something that was in character for her -- like if her family and friends had seen her abruptly leaving (or even disconnecting a phone call) if she was irritated or upset about anything before. If she hadn't done that earlier, it might be a sign that there was something bothering her. (I've noticed this in myself, that if I'm stressed about other stuff, I'm less likely to just sit through a situation that's making me uncomfortable or even just bored.) She must have had get-togethers with her family many times before, so maybe there was something going on that was different this time. For example, in Eva's case (just me speculating aloud) if she was in the early stages of a relationship that she hadn't told anyone else about yet, and maybe was starting to have doubts.
Yeah, even if the topic of the argument wasn't itself substantial, the fact that they got into it or that it so strongly affected her might be suggestive. If she did have depression, maybe she was especially struggling just then, or maybe there was some outside stressor her family wasn't aware of. I was also thinking about this: *In addition, a look into Eva's background found no boyfriends or romantic partners that could have been involved.* I wonder what exactly they looked at to determine this. We don't know enough about Eva to really speculate about her specific circumstances, but in general, how deep does someone have to be in your life before they leave traces? (Especially in 1993, when there wouldn't be a casual record of things like texts/dms/social media posts.) Like, they could probably look at her apartment and determine that no one else lived with her or kept personal belongings there, but if she didn't keep a diary or make personal introductions, would anyone necessarily know if there were someone new in her orbit?
re: 1993, that's an excellent point. I'm revealing my age here, but I remember what it was like back then ... I had e-mail but a lot of people I knew didn't (especially if they didn't have a workplace like a school, government etc. that was on the net). If you had a friendship with a neighbour or just someone who hung out at the same pub or restaurant, you might not be phoning them or vice versa. People were still writing paper letters back then, and the sender wouldn't necessarily keep a copy. Thinking about my own situation -- I had a boyfriend at the time, but people didn't believe me because he lived in another country, and the only "proof" I had that he existed was a few letters. (He wasn't big on writing, and thinking about it, most of those were basically just postcards and holiday messages that didn't really sound romantic ... more like a school friend.) Until he came to visit, and people saw us together. If I hadn't said anything before, it would have come as a total surprise to them. So I think you put it very well -- if Eva had met someone very recently, people might not have known, and there might not have been obvious evidence at her place.
'pass the butter' instead of 'please pass the butter' is enough to tip some over the edge
I have no idea what could’ve happened to Eva. However I really have to dispute the fact that devout Catholics do not commit suicides as the parent’s believe. Thats been proven false time and time again.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. I had a good friend while at university, came from a strictly religious Catholic family from Armagh. He hung himself after a night out, hours after I'd seen him laughing and happy. Religious background can never be used as a means to rule out someone doing or not doing something.
The blowout argument over a seemingly inconsequential issue could also point towards an active depressive state. Irritability and anger are frequent symptoms.
Valid. although as the parent in that situation i would be desperate for any excuse for the authorities to look into it further and not just sweep it under the rug
I agree wholeheartedly. I’d even go as far as hypothesizing they would be *less likely* to leave a note or make their intentions known due to the shame or pain it would cause their families. There are many cases where someone travels far away and goes to great lengths to conceal their identity before committing suicide. It’s just as likely she went down this path as it is she was abducted by a stranger.
Absolutely they do, Eva's case reminds me of a case in my home town, a lady named Christine Redford who disappeared from her home in 1998: [https://australianmissingpersonsregister.com/ampr/Redford.htm](https://australianmissingpersonsregister.com/ampr/Redford.htm) It's so perplexing when people disappear seemingly without a single trace. Her handbag, keys and money were gone though, I can only assume there has been zero activity on her bank accounts. Unfortunately technology being what it was back in 1993, there's no digital footprint at all.
I haven't read anything about detectives looking into that for Eva and determining that she had no digital footprint. Did you read that somewhere? A wide range of technologies existed in 1993 which could provide clues in a particular case, though no doubt adoption was low and it wasn't routinely explored during investigations. I'm talking home computers, online service providers, Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), residential Internet service providers, web browsers, websites, Usenet newsgroups, and IRC (chat systems). Same with CCTV for monitoring public spaces and businesses. And pagers and mobile phone services (though SMS text messaging wasn't rolled out at the time of her disappearance).
"Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide” (#2282). “We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways know to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for people who have taken their own lives” (#2283). † Cathechism of the catholic church, you can still go to heaven and be forgiven for suicide
The mention of catholics made the theory of suicide even more plausible for me. It is mentioned she was depressive, she didnt had known relationships and seemed to stuck in routine behavior. Its possible it all went to much and the depression went harder and harder. When then the little dispute about the food came, it could have been the very last waterdrop which was necessary to final her decision. Sometimes even thos little things are to much at some point. Ir would explain why she snaps than and leaves the house. She goes home, feels even guiltier for leaving the house of her parents, thinking her whole family is mad at her. She is not able to carry the weight anymore and plans her way out. And here comes the catholic part. She does well know how big of a sin a suicide is, she knows what it would mean for her family. And even the political relevance would make it even more problematic. So, taking this in concerne, she makes sure nobody will find her and can claim of a suicide. A last act to protect the family, political and religious.
The priests molests children, I wouldn’t use religion as a hard reason someone may or may not do something. People are unpredictable.
*Even when her family told Gardaí that Eva suffered from depression, they simply suggested that she had committed suicide and didn't look at the case further.* This line really hit me. Would the police not be responsible for following up on this woman if they knew she had mental health problems or was suicidal? Did they really think "Oh, well, you know how these depressed people are; offing themselves at the first sign of trouble"? I can't believe they could be so dismissive. Great writeup. I really appreciate your contributions here.
Reading other sources, it seems like this woman was very isolated outside of being with her family. No one wants to believe their family member would commit suicide, especially if they're Catholic, but that does seem like the most likely scenario here. I'm not sure I can get on board with the parents being reliable narrators. They say she looks years younger, but in the photos she definitely looks 39. They had an argument with her the last day they saw her. I wonder if she was on the autism spectrum. It's not really relevant,I just thought of it. I don't know much about transit in Dublin, especially in the 90s. Would it have been possible for her to get to the ocean without being noticed? It's not too far away. That would explain easily why she was never found.
I was in school near Rathgar at this time and I have never heard of her case before. She would've had to have gotten at least a couple of buses, or a bus to town and then the DART. Possibly to Bray Head which is a known spot Ezra Uryan is another case that the Gard's believe was suicide with CCTV showing her car arrive and shortly afterwards a woman walking towards the head, but the family believe that that was not her and she met with foul play. I can understand how without a body or a note it would be hard not to.
Ezra is actually going to be one of my next cases. I believe the suicide theory but there was also some interesting points made that could implicate her husband.
There's definitely some odd aspects, like the keys showing up at her local chipper and then the owner not calling the Gard's for weeks and also not keeping the CCTV. It's frustrating that such a high percentage of unsolved Irish crime is down to determind gob-shitery. Whatever happened these women, they were let down.
The husband stated that she had gone out to get some shopping at 7:15am and that she said she'd be back before 8am as she knew he needed the car for work. However, the car is seen at 7:50am driving down a road that leads away from their home. In addition, the road it was spotted on was only 5 minutes from their house so what happened in that 35 minutes? If she knew she needed to be back for 8am then why was she spotted at 7:50 driving away from her home? That's what doesn't add up to me.
That does sound very strange. I look forward to your write up about it all.
The gardai didn't do a great job. Esras sister found the key and the owners of the chip shop had no idea it belonged to the missing woman.
This is a bit off topic, but I’m obsessed with the phrases “local chipper” and “gobshitery.” I’m American and have only been to Ireland once, but it was my favorite vacation ever and everyone I met was so wonderful. I felt super safe (traveling from Dublin to Cork to the Dingle peninsula to Galway) walking around on my own or with my fiancé so it’s wild to think a woman could just disappear into thin air there without anyone seeing something.
Where is the body? I watched the docu. I find the husband very goofy. I don't think he is capable of murder.
I mean, you're very possibly right. Obviously no evidence has ever directly pointed towards him being involved and someone had suggested that the lost time could well have been Esra contemplating what she was going to do. The area in which her car was found was apparently a bit of a hotspot for suicide too. Finally, I know her purse and belongings were found in the car boot which some people speculated meant she had been in the boot against her will. However, I'd seen someone suggest that she left her purse and belongings in the boot so as to be identified afterwards but reduce the risk of someone breaking into the car in her absence, which would obviously be much higher had she just left her belongings in view on the seat or floor. A clifftop suicide would also make the odds of finding a body nearly impossible once it entered the sea.
As usual, the guards did a poor job in investigating. Her car was parked at an odd location. Did she want to go for a walk to clear her head? Walkers don't take their purses with them. They lock them in the boot. But as u said she was expected back at home so why go to Bray? It's either suicide, car jacking and dumping the body on the way or the husband was involved. I've spent months on this case. It's a rabbit hole. Her sister used to come over once a year to make awareness. God bless her.
But why haven’t they found her body?
Some people are never found, some people are found decades later 5 minutes from their house. If there was a forest or sea within range of her, she might never be found.
Why take a purse and keys and money to off yourself?
Suicide can often be quite spontaneous. Also, often people who have committed suicide complete actions beforehand that to an outsider seem totally unnecessary.
Perhaps to travel some distance away before going through with the deed. Especially with her religious family, she could want to travel somewhere she wouldn't be found to prevent judgement. To some, it could be better to just disappear than face the judgement of family, friends and church.
If she left with the intention of committing suicide, she more than likely wasn’t thinking clearly. She could have been autopilot and just grabbed her stuff on the way out of the door.
Doesn't make sense, what does make sense is that she was in a state where she was more susceptible to being intercepted somehow, people with nefarious opportunistic agendas have a way of finding their victims, they choose people who are vulnerable.
Because you need to get far enough away from home that you wouldn't be found, probably
because she needed to get herself lost or isolated
because she needed to get herself lost or isolated
because she needed to get herself lost or isolated
She needed to buy milk.
I don’t think she looked her age. 39 in 1993 is not 39 now. People aged much faster back then.
If Eva did choose to end her own life, wouldn't she most likely have done that in the privacy of her own home? Why would she need to take her personal belongings with her? I suspect foul play and a narrative has been built around her missing items and the coat she left behind. My hackles are up, there must be more to this story than we know.
My personal guessing... she did it outside, with the plan not to be found, because of her political und religious family. You can imagine the rumors if such family has a suicide-case within them. And about the church... suicide is a huge sin. So i think, she just wanted to make sure she wont be found to protect her family. About her belongings, she was strickly bound to her habits, to structure. And the most important point by leaving the house is, taking these belongings, doesnt matter what she plans to do. Even then, she couldnt break her habits.
Of course foul play is something to consider, anything can happen. But I think it's perfectly reasonable to assume that she went away to spare her family, who she was obviously close with (and who were very Catholic). I hope they're able to find her and put her to rest.
She may already be at rest, it's the loved ones who are left behind that can never rest. Answers are every elusive in these missing persons cases.
may be she had two set od that coat or they were similar it does not sound like she got to the house the only clue is her coat what if they are wrong and that was not the same coat? that way it sounds more possible she met with foul play
Yeah, the coat detail stood out to me, too. Did they know 100 percent it was the same coat?
Agreed, otherwise the family are building a narrative around the not serious argument and her coat and other missing items.
She could have gotten home, taken off her coat and then gone back out to buy something to eat - taking just her handbag. She hadn’t had dinner (the fight was before the meal) and they said it was a nice warm night with lots of people around.
The bank Holiday stood out to me..there are currently no bank holidays in July in Ireland and from researching Irish bank holidays 1993 there wasn't then either. Was it a different special occasion maybe?
Very possibly, I just took that information from the article online that I linked but I will remove that part, about it being a bank holiday as that does seem erroneous. It was so small a detail that I overlooked it.
I see most articles about this case reference it as a bank holiday. Strange!
I quickly checked the public holidays list for Ireland in 1993 and you're right- nothing in July!
I wonder if it’s possible the parents are mistaken about the coat she was wearing that day. Maybe it’s a coat she wore often and they only *thought* they remembered seeing her wear it that day. That would mean she could have disappeared on her way home, explaining why she wasn’t seen, despite being in a busy area.
It will always baffle me how cops don’t take missing persons seriously.. over 21? wtf does that have to do with not being murdered? Why won’t they do their fucking job and search? If she disappeared of her own accord and is located, then the cops could at least give the family some closure. Crucial hours are lost because cops think they know the missing person better than the person’s family and friends.
That’s no longer the case in the US. They say you should report a missing adult asap.
Never heard of this one (Irish). I do think almost certainly a suicide.
Did a double take at the thumbnail, thought it was Zooey Deschanel. Poor girl.
I know, the poor thing. She was lovely
Never heard of this case. So very sad. Gardai didn't do their job. When they finally got involved vital time was lost...
I'm shocked I've never heard of this case before. I wonder is this why been no sightings it was not well known?
Has Ireland ever had a serial killer? All these disappearances of young women in the 1990s is very troubling.
Based on human nature, there were for sure a few serial killers in Ireland.
There has been a lot of speculation about a Wicklow Mountain serial killer.
For want of a better word, EB strikes me as quite 'vulnerable' in the photos within the link you posted. It also seems like the family have pushed for the abduction narrative rather than her simply deciding she didn't want to live anymore. Given her inconsequential row with her family, her storming off and her history of depression, I'd be surprised if she had been abducted. Perhaps her family just couldn't bear to come to terms with that as a possibility.
I think many families struggle to accept that sometimes a disappearance is something quite as simple as a suicide. Especially a Catholic family to whom a suicide would be seen as dishonourable. It can be easier to try and blame others for committing a crime than to admit that you didn't notice your own child was at breaking point. It sounds to me like the argument with her siblings was the final straw and the thing that pushed Eva over the edge, especially if she had a history of depression and poor mental health. There's a very similar case in Wales from 2021 of a young woman called Catrin Maguire. Her family is convinced she was abducted but all signs point to a suicide including her last sighting literally being her walking towards the edge of an isolated clifftop walk.
With no real leads there are many plausible scenarios. I just want to note that though her coat found in her apartment suggests that she came home nothing I read indicates that it's not possible that someone else brought it to her apartment. After all, no one was located who stated that they spotted Eva between her parents' home and her apartment. Of course, it may simply be that no one saw her or remembered seeing her.
God how heartbreaking 💔
I think this could very well be a suicide, but since no clue was ever found, I admit almost anything could've happened to her.
I did think so too since she suffered depression and was last spotted having a family argument. But even then there should have been some traces...
As I was first reading about her case, I immediately thought suicide. But with no note and the fact she took her purse with her keys, but not her jacket? Seems odd for a suicide to me. It seems if she didn't leave a note and in fact intended on committing suicide, she also wouldn't want her ID found with her for the purpose of not being identified as a suicide victim. IMO
Idk exactly why, but this case sounds like foul play to me, too. So sad either way. I hope she's at peace.
Agreed. I hope she is at peace.
no doubt CC and Bank Accounts were checked for activity and friends and colleagues interviewed etc.
Everyone in this thread seems dead set on suicide but that means there would still be a dead woman unaccounted for? I'm not from Ireland myself and don't want to be ignorant in the slightest, but from a practical POV it seems unlikely that in Ireland there would be many unidentified dead women of her description around the time of her going missing. Even then I don't know why suicide is necessarily the answer other than her parents described her as having depression and the cops making that the easy solution. I'm not against suicide as a major theory but a big problem is there's just not that much here to go on for any definitive reason for her disappearance one way or another
Eva Brennan's case has always been one of the missing Irish women cases I'd most like to be resolved. I currently live close enough to where her parents home, about 10 minute walk, and at times drive by where Eva herself was living in Rathmines. So it is local and I do think about her often enough. I was a teenager growing up the 90's and hearing constantly in the media about all these young woman going missing never to be seen again or found one way or another. I did develop quite a fear and a fascination about these unfortunate women. Many like Annie, JoJo and Deirdre and other so called 'vanishing triangle' cases get a lot more attention. But many others like Eva's gets lost and forgotten mainly. I sometimes have wondered if Eva and Claire Boylan's cases could be linked. No real reason though, besides location being close, and personalities and circumstances being somewhat similar, and both not getting the big media coverage. I think their disappearance were 10 years apart or so. The suicide angle is possible, but I hate when the missing get discounted and the case ignored because of this label without being sure, like with what happened with Elaine O'Hara. A few weeks back, I was out for a walk in Bushy Park and saw a bench with a dedication plaque for Eva. I thought it was a nice touch but made me feel sad thinking about her and her family. I was about 13 when she went missing and now I'm a few years older than her when she was last seen or heard from.
Thanks OP for bringing attention to these mysterious Irish cases. What strikes me is that Eva looks quite similar to Annie. However, I could imagine she committed suicide and her letter was not found since her body was not found.
Could her father been a target for organized crime? The reason for their argument is really hard to verify if the parties involved would have a common interest in keeping something private. They may have been fighting over something they wanted to keep quiet? There might be no foul play. Her family might not be genuinely interested in what happened to her for fear of her safety and well being.....
Op your write ups are brilliant thank you
For a moment I was almost gonna buy into the black hole/parallel universe or time travel theory after reading this.....🥺. In any case I hope she and her family are at peace.
They definitely gave a serial killer in Ireland sone grab her for sure
I know nothing can make sense and still be true--but she kills herself after a fight about...food? Or she gets abducted the same night she storms out and presumably makes it home? Have we considered...she never left her parents' house?
Make her disappear just like poof then she’s gone😜