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Eight years on, Fiona’s family fears the worst
THE mother of an Irish woman who went missing in August 1996 has said she believes her daughter was murdered.
Last week marked the eighth anniversary of the day 25-year-old Fiona Pender went missing from her home in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
Fiona had been living in Croydon in south London before returning to Ireland in February 1996 with her boyfriend.
She was eight months pregnant when she disappeared from her home on August 23, 1996.
Now Fiona’s mother Josephine said she has always believed her daughter was murdered.
She also said her life had been devastated since Fiona’s disappearance: “I have always believed that I know who murdered my daughter. It has been devastating since Fiona went missing. Our lives have been destroyed.”
Her husband committed suicide in 2000 after becoming extremely depressed following four harrowing years searching for Fiona.
But Mrs Pender said that her one wish before she dies is to find her daughter’s body.
Mrs Pender said: “All we want at this stage is to give Fiona and her baby a proper burial. She deserves that.”
Mrs Pender said she does not believe Fiona walked out on her home and her family of her own free will.
Fiona gave no indication she was planning to leave and did not taker her passport, her credit cards or even a change of clothes with her.
Her mother said she was looking forward to the birth of her baby and had been buying baby clothes with Fiona the day before she went missing.
Fiona used to be a model and was 5ft 5ins tall with blonde hair and a slim build.
At the time of her disappearance gardaí, the Air Corps and members of the public launched a massive hunt for her.
A number of young women went missing in the Irish midlands in the late 1990s with some believing a serial killer was on the loose. But gardaí rejected this theory.
- Anyone with any information is asked to call Tullamore Gardaí on 00 353 506 21 305 or contact the National Missing Persons Helpline free on 0500 700 700.
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