The street where Imelda Keenan went missing

Last Seen Location Waterford City, Waterford

This is the location where Imelda Keenan was last seen.

It is situated on William Street in Waterford, Ireland.

At the time of her disappearance, the 22-year-old was living in an apartment on this street with her boyfriend, Mark Wall.

Imelda Keenan's apartment — Keenan and Wall lived in this apartment building at 4 William Street.
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Imelda Keenan — Keenan was originally from Mountmellick, County Laois. She was 5'3" tall and had a thin build. She had recently finished an IT course at the Central Technical Institute on Parnell Street. These days, it is called the Waterford College of Further Education. Please note that the two photographs above have been digitally enhanced.

Keenan has been missing since January 3rd, 1994.

Her boyfriend said that she left their apartment at 1.30 p.m. to walk to a post office on Keyser Street, where she was due to pick up a social welfare payment.

However, the post office would not have been open that day, as January 3rd, 1994, was a public holiday in Ireland.

Furthermore, the post office in question closed its doors for lunch between 1 and 2 p.m.

Although one witness claimed that they saw Keenan on the corner of Parnell Street and Lombard Street, this sighting remains unconfirmed, as questions have been raised about whether it was a case of mistaken identity or not.

If the disputed sighting of Keenan was not a mistake, then it means that she walked down this section of William Street at around 1.30 p.m. on Monday, January 3rd, 1994.

During the investigation, it was noted that Keenan's cigarettes and glasses were still in the apartment. Her brother, Gerry Keenan, stated that she would not have left home without these items.

Christmas presents with her name written on them remained unopened. There were also presents that she intended on gifting to her nephews.

Map — This map illustrates the small distance between each location.

Keenan liked to use citizens band radio (CB radio), which is a mobile radio system that allows people to communicate within a 30 km radius. This system was relatively popular in the days before mobile phones and social media. None of her CB radio friends recalled speaking to her during the Christmas period.

Keenan apartment — Her brother attempted to visit her twice over the Christmas period. Although the light was on, nobody answered the door.

Gerry believes that his sister disappeared at some point before January 3rd.

Keenan's family felt it was strange that she didn't return home for Christmas that year. Initially, she planned on traveling back to Laois with her brother on December 23rd. However, she canceled those plans and told him that she would take a later train by herself.

This was out of character for Keenan, as she was a shy young woman who avoided traveling alone.

Although Keenan's boyfriend claimed that she had been feeling depressed, her family has said she was in good spirits at the time of her disappearance.

A search of nearby rivers also failed to find anything of note.

Despite this, the gardai at the time labeled the case a possible suicide. Consequently, no forensic examination of the apartment took place.

In 2009, Keenan's family erected a memorial plaque for her on the bridge beside Lombard Street and George's Quay. They visit it each year on the anniversary of her disappearance.

The plaque reads:

"Always remembered. Our darling daughter and sister, Imelda Keenan. Mountmellick, County Laois. Reported as a missing person from this street. 1993-1994.

The family decided not to put a specific date on the plaque, as they believe that she was murdered at some point before January 3rd.