Large crowd at run and walk in memory of missing Offaly woman

A LARGE crowd turned out in Tullamore on Sunday morning for the annual Fiona Pender Memorial Walk and Run.

Tullamore woman Fiona (pictured below) was 25 years old and seven months pregnant when she disappeared on August 23, 1996 and gardai believe she was murdered.

Her remains have not been found and no one has ever been brought to justice for her murder.

A number of friends of Fiona and her family organise the walk and run in her memory and it begins at a memorial stone erected in the young woman's memory by her brother John.

The stone is located on the bank of the Grand Canal just a few hundred metres from where Fiona grew up and marks the beginning of Fiona's Way, a public amenity named in her memory.

Marie White, one of the organisers of the walk and run briefly addressed all those who came along for the event.

Ms White made an appeal for information which could help the 29-year investigation into Fiona's disappearance.

“We'd like to get the word out there that if anybody has any information, please, please, come forward and help put Fiona to rest,” she said.

She then asked everyone to observe a moment's silence to remember Fiona, her unborn baby, her late mother Josie, her aunts and all her family.

Speaking to the Tullamore Tribune, Ms White said it was great to see such a big crowd at the memorial event.

She also commented on the searches that took place near Killeigh and Clonaslee in May.

Bogland at Graigue, Killeigh was excavated, as was land in a forested area in the Slieve Bloom mountains.

Nothing was found which helped locate Fiona's remains but the garda investigation, which was upgraded from a missing person's case to murder before the two searches, remains live.

Speaking after all the walkers and runners set off along the 4.5km course, Ms White said: “You love to hear that something is being done about it and that there is a search going on and maybe [the guards] get information this time. You never know, one year it just might work but you don't build your hopes up.

“It's good [that there are searches] but it's hard on the family as well because you can't help but get your hopes up and there's nothing after that. It is tough but hopefully some day something will come up.”

The first two people home after the run were Irene Walsh, a Dun Laoghaire resident whose husband is from Birr who has taken part on three previous occasions, and David Soria, originally from Mexico City, living in Virginia, US, and in Tullamore visiting relations of his wife.

Ms Walsh (62), remarked: “I always do it for Fiona, for her memory.”

David Soria's wife Shannon is a niece of Marie White and there was a big gathering in Tullamore on Saturday night for the extended family at Sean Lawlor's 80^th birthday party in the Tullamore Court Hotel and the Goalpost pub.

Mr Soria (57) accepted the perpetual trophy and said: “I loved the run. I run in the United States, six miles almost every day”.

He said he has been told the story of Fiona Pender's disappearance. “I think it's sad that we haven't figured out what really happened.”

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Fiona Pender's mother Josephine said she knew who killed her daughter and until her death in 2017 regularly made pleas for anyone with information which would help the gardai to come forward.

The prime suspect is a man who was in a relationship with Fiona and gardai believe he has been living outside of Ireland for some time.

Fiona was last seen alive at her flat in Church Street, Tullamore at about 6am on August 23, 1996. People were questioned shortly afterwards but nobody has ever been charged with any offence connected with her disappearance.

Tragedy first hit the Pender family when Fiona's brother Mark was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1994.

Fiona's father Sean died tragically at home in 2000.

Prior to her death Josephine Pender said of the killer: “He destroyed all of us. He didn't just destroy Fiona, he destroyed every member of the family.”

Fiona's other brother John has previously spoken of the struggle the family endured: “My mother and father both died of a broken heart and I have only been able to say goodbye to one family member, my mother, who passed away from natural causes – while no one else in my family did.”

Gardaí continue to appeal to any person who may have previously come forward, but who felt they could not provide gardaí with all the information they had at that time, to contact the investigation team again, at Tullamore Garda Station on 057 932 7600, or any garda station.

Anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially is advised to contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.