Family of missing Kildare man Trevor Deely says 25th anniversary is 'horrific milestone'

By Nick Bramhill

THE devastated family of missing Naas, Co Kildare man Trevor Deely has described the upcoming 25th anniversary of his disappearance as a "horrific milestone" that has added to their sense of despair.

After enduring yet another painful year in which no credible leads have emerged in the baffling case, Trevor's heartbroken mother and three older siblings are still no closer to making a breakthrough than they were in the first few days after the young man was last seen.

And with the dreaded 25th anniversary of the disappearance of the then 22-year-old bank official just days away, his sister Michele admitted "the burden of hopelessness"  she carries has rarely felt heavier.

However, the 51-year-old mother-of-two said she remains as determined as ever to carry on searching for her beloved younger brother, not least because it's what her late father, Michael Deely, would have wanted.

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She said:  "A quarter of a century has now passed since Trevor disappeared.  This anniversary is a really difficult one, because it marks 25 years since he was last seen.  It's absolutely horrible, and it's going to be very hard for all of us.

"So much time has passed, and yet we still have no answers and remain in this horrendous limbo.  The burden of hopelessness feels really heavy, because it's so difficult to know what more we can do, and where we go from here."
As one of Ireland's most high-profile missing persons' cases, the image of Trevor and the key facts in the build-up to his disappearance in the Irish capital in the early hours of December 8, 2000, still remain ingrained in many people's memories.

The last image captured of him was on CCTV, as he walked down Haddington Road towards his flat in Ballsbridge, south Dublin, at 4.14am.

Prior to that and following his Christmas party, the young man had called to his place of work to collect an umbrella due to the worsening weather conditions.

Digitally-enhanced CCTV footage captured a male dressed in black outside the rear entrance of the Bank of Ireland branch on Wilton Terrace shortly before Trevor arrived there.

At 3.34am, moments before Trevor approached his place of work, the mystery male stepped out onto the footpath and followed him to the back gate of the building, before conversing with him one minute later.
Detectives believe that the male acting suspiciously outside the workplace was the same man who was seen passing the Bank of Ireland ATM just after Trevor was last seen that morning.

Meanwhile, Michele will gather with her siblings for a private remembrance service in Naas, Co. Kildare, over the weekend.
She added:  "A huge passage of time has passed since Trevor was last seen.   But as hard as it is, we cannot let go, and we cannot give up. A new was assigned to Trevor's case.  That means there's someone there with fresh eyes, and a new perspective.  It's a small thing, but it gives us some hope.

"My Dad never stopped looking for him, and if he was still alive I know he'd still be looking. We must carry on Dad's work, and, like him, never give up searching."
A €100,000 Crimestoppers reward remains available for credible information on Trevor Deely.