Deirdre Jacob is an Irish woman who disappeared very near her parent’s home just outside Newbridge town, County Kildare on the 28th July 1998 at the age of 18.

In August 2018 the Garda Síochána (Irish police) announced that her disappearance was being treated as a murder case.

CASE SUMMARY

Deirdre Jacob was born on October 14th, 1979 to Michael and Bernadette Jacob and she spent her childhood growing up in a bungalow just outside Newbridge, County Kildare in an area called Roseberry. During the 1980s, it was a quiet place that had yet to see the sprawling housing developments that would soon come. When she completed school, Deirdre had developed a passion for writing, playing the piano, and she quickly decided she want to teach.

She left Ireland in 1997 and began studying to be a primary level teacher at St. Mary’s College in Twickenham, London to qualify. By May 1998, her first year of study was completed and she returned back to her parent’s home in Newbridge, Ireland. During her time in college, she has recently begun a romantic relationship (April) with a classmate, Charlie. Deirdre wants him to visit Ireland that summer and she is eager to bring him over and meet her parents and show him the sites of Ireland in August. Her family are looking forward to that visit. Deirdre was also looking forward to seeing old schoolfriends on her summer trip back home and her mother Bernadette had assisted her in getting a part-time job in the HSE (Health Service Executive) where she worked. Her dad Michael worked as an official at Teagasc (an Agri-advisory body) locally. Deirdre had a younger sister (Ciara) who was still at secondary school level.

Always planning ahead, on July 28th, Deirdre left her home and walked into Newbridge town to organise a bank draft to send to her flatmate in London for the accommodation she would return to when the study year started again as summer gave way to autumn. She also wanted to post some letters she had written the previous evening (July 27th) to send to friends. She was very close to her grandmother who ran a sweetshop in Newbridge and it was an opportunity to spend time with her that day. Deirdre made the walking trip to Newbridge town, deposited money and finally sorted the bank draft, and along with some letters she posted, she popped in twice to her grandmother’s shop that early afternoon.

She then started the 25 minute walk back home around 2.35-3 pm. There’s reason to believe Deirdre almost got home (witness accounts from locals), possibly as far as the entry to her parent’s road, driveway and home, but after that – Deirdre Jacob vanished into thin air.

This is the timeline and the study of her disappearance as it unfolded, hour by hour, day by day, month by month, and a missing person case that would ultimately be upgraded to suspected murder across 25 years.

PLEASE NOTE - This podcast is the audio from the full Radio Espial You Tube documentary. It is probably best viewed at Radio Espial's Channel.


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