THE mother of a young woman who went missing in Ireland 30 years ago is hopeful they may finally find out what happened to her now police are treating it as a murder investigation.
New insights into the case of Annie McCarrick were revealed last night in the new two-part true-crime series on RTÉ One, Beyond the Vanishing Triangle.
The documentary examines some of the most notorious cases of missing women which occurred in Ireland within a so-called 'Vanishing Triangle' in the 1990's.
The first episode focused on Irish-American woman Annie McCarrick, who had travelled from New York to Ireland to study and went missing from her home at Sandymount in Dublin on Friday, March 26, 1993.
Annie McCarrick travelled from her home in New York to study in IrelandThe 26-year-old left her house to go walking and was reported to have boarded a bus towards Enniskerry village later that day.
Another reported sighting put the young woman at the nearby Johnny Fox's pub, but in last night’s programme those closest to her claim it is unlikely she ever made it to the pub.
Childhood friend, Linda Ringhouse, who is interviewed in the programme, said she was "very chatty, she really liked to have conversations and meet people."
She added: "I don’t think she was at Johnnie Fox’s that night... between her beauty and just how kind she was… there would have definitely been more than just a doorman remembering her."
Annie’s mother Nancy McCarrick also gives an interview for the documentary, where she describes her only child as “funny” and “very reliable”.,
“She was conscientious, she was not fearful,” she added, “she could not find fault with Ireland.”
Revelations in the programme include a sighting of Annie with a man in Poppies Café in Enniskerry on the day she disappeared.
Annie McCarrick has been missing for 30 years - her case is now being treated as a murder investigationFriends and family who feature in the documentary also share the concerns they had had for Annie, particularly as they believed she was being harassed by someone she knew prior to her disappearance.
They also claim someone she knew had been physically violent to her before she disappeared.
Her mother confirmed: "We found out from some of her friends that she had been having quite a bit of difficulty with someone she knew and we were totally unaware of that.
"She hadn’t let us know about it. I guess she thought she could handle it herself and things would be alright."
Maureen Covell, Annie’s aunt, added: “I was told something in confidence that someone that Annie had known had struck her when they were in a drunken state.”
In March, just days ahead of the 30th anniversary of Annie going missing, Gardaí upgraded their investigation into the case to murder.
“Gardaí are continuing to investigate the disappearance of twenty-six-year-old American woman, Annie McCarrick who is missing since Friday, March 26, 1993,” they stated.
“This investigation was upgraded to murder on Friday, March 23, 2023.”
Speaking in the documentary, Annie’s mother - whose husband John has passed away since their daughter went missing - said the move made her hopeful that the family will eventually have a place to visit her daughter.
“It makes a huge difference to hear that her case has been upgraded to a murder investigation,” she said.
“You never know, it might prompt someone to come forward after all these years.”
She added: As far as justice or retribution I have no interest in it at all. My fondest wish would just be to find out what happened to her. To be able to have a grave to visit."
