I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise on the Adjournment the matter of the number of women who have gone missing in the past ten years. The bodies of some of the women have been recovered but most have not. The sad and harsh fact is that no person has been caught or convicted for the ten murders in the past ten years.
Eight young women have gone missing from the Dublin, Louth, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford, Laois and Offaly areas and their bodies have not been recovered. They are Annie McCarrick, Jo Jo Dollard, Deirdre Jacob, Fiona Pender, Ciara Breen, Fiona Sinnott, Bettina Poeschel and Eva Brennan. The bodies of two other ladies, Patricia O'Doherty and Marie Kilmartin, were found but nobody was convicted of their murders. The body of Marie Kilmartin was found outside Portlaoise. The more time that passes, the less chance there is of finding the missing women alive. For the families concerned, however, hope springs eternal, particularly in the case of Bettina Poeschel.
A number of questions arise with regard to these missing persons. Is it likely that eight individuals carried out eight separate murders, having planned them so methodically and efficiently and in such a manner that all of them have to date escaped detection? Could eight such murderers dispose of the bodies without leaving a trace? I strongly reject that possibility. This might have happened in one, two or three cases, but it is highly unlikely to have happened in all eight cases.
The second possibility is one I raised with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in the Dáil last April. I referred him to the comments of a former Garda detective, Gerry Carroll. In the course of a radio interview with Gerry Ryan, Detective Garda Carroll raised the possibility that a serial killer was involved in some of these murders. Deputy Shatter also raised the retired detective's views and asked the Minister whether a serial killer could have been involved. The Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, rejected these views out of hand, perhaps unwisely. He should reconsider the matter carefully in discussions with the Garda Commissioner. I have spoken to a number of senior gardaí and people involved in the detection of crime, and many of them appear to believe there is a strong possibility that a serial killer or killers are involved. This is a matter of the utmost importance and the Minister of State should convey that to the Minister.
I pay tribute to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for maintaining Operation Trace. The operation is led by an experienced assistant commissioner of the Garda and experienced staff. The operation must be continued in each of the cases I mentioned. Each case must be re-examined and, if necessary, new personnel should be brought in to do so and to see if something might have been overlooked, which can happen.
The people involved in these murders are cunning, clever, secretive and highly intelligent criminals. They leave no crime scene and no body. There are no forensic clues. That makes it difficult, if not impossible, to achieve a breakthrough. There are similarities in these cases. All the people concerned were young women in the prime of their lives. They were alone and there was no struggle involved. In eight cases, no bodies were found.
The new case of the German national, Bettina Poeschel, demands that the Minister provides all the resources required by the Garda to carry out an intensive search. Extensive Garda inquiries should be carried out on a house-to-house basis across the Drogheda area. It could be extended nationwide if necessary, but particular emphasis should be put on the Dublin and Louth areas. This should be undertaken urgently.
The Minister and the Taoiseach should also ask the public to be vigilant and to report all unusual sightings to the Garda. These crimes must be solved and the perpetrators brought before the courts and, I hope, convicted. This will require hard work by the gardaí and the co-operation of the public. Additional resources are essential. I hope, however, the gardaí will get a lucky break because that is what one needs to solve crimes of this nature. It is a matter of great importance and I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss it. It is being discussed among the public and there is a great deal of concern, particularly among young women, about the number of young women who have lost their lives in this manner.
