Disappearance of Fiona Pender
Fiona Pender | |
|---|---|
| Disappeared | 23 August 1996 (aged 25) Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupations |
|
| Partner | John Thompson |
Fiona Pender is an Irish woman who disappeared from her home in Tullamore, County Offaly on 23 August 1996 at the age of 25. She was seven months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.[1] Gardaí suspect she was murdered.[2]
Background
[edit]Fiona Pender was the only daughter of Sean and Josephine Pender and she had two brothers, Mark and John. Mark died in 1995. Prior to her disappearance Fiona had worked as hairdresser and as a model.[3] She had lived in Croydon, London for a time where she worked in a hotel before returning to Ireland.[4]
She was living with her partner, John Thompson, in a flat in Tullamore, County Offaly at the time of her disappearance. She was seven months pregnant.
Disappearance
[edit]On the day before her disappearance, Fiona had spent the day with her mother where they went shopping for baby clothes. She was described as being happy and looking forward to the birth of her child.[5]
On 23 August 1996 Fiona was last seen at 6am by her partner John at their home on Church Street, Tullamore when he left to work on his family farm. A friend of Fiona's visited the home later that day but received no answer at the door. She was reported missing the following day.[4]
Investigation
[edit]Numerous searches for Fiona were conducted including searches of the Grand Canal and Tullamore River. Searches for Fiona included Garda sub-aqua units, Air Corps helicopters, members of the civil defence, and tracker dogs. All maternity units in Ireland and the UK were notified of Fiona's disappearance as she was pregnant at the time of her disappearance. To date, not trace of Fiona or her baby have been found.[4]
Fiona's partner, John Thompson, along with his three sisters and father were arrested for questioning by Gardaí in April of 1997. They were released without charge.[6] John Thompson was identified as a suspect in the case.[7]
In May 2008, a makeshift cross was found in Monicknew woods in the Slieve Bloom mountains reading "Fiona Pender. Buried here, August 22nd, 1996." This discovery lead to searches in the area for Fiona but nothing was found. However, Gardaí do not believe the cross was placed there as a hoax. Gardaí noted that the cross stated that Fiona was buried on the 22nd, despite her being reported last seen on the 23rd.[8]
In 1999, Gardaí included Fiona Pender in Operation Trace, an inquiry into a number of high-profile disappearances of women in the 1990s.[9]
In 2014 it was reported that the main suspect in Fiona's disappearance was arrested abroad.[10] It was reported that the suspect was arrested in the Canadian city of Saskatoon for sexually assaulting and threatening to kill his wife.[11] It was also reported that the current partner of the main suspect in Fiona's disappearance was cooperating with Gardaí. The woman told police in the country she now resides in that her partner had threatened her and claimed to have killed Fiona.[12] This information led to further searches for Fiona that ultimately did not recover her body.[13]
Aftermath
[edit]Fiona Pender's disappearance was highly publicized in Ireland and often included in connection with disappearances collectively known as Ireland's Vanishing Triangle.[14]
In 2014, a memorial and walking trail were created to commemorate Fiona Pender in Offaly. Fiona's Way is a 4.5 km walk along the canal in Tullamore.[15] In 2022, Ashling Murphy was murdered while jogging on Fiona's Way.[16]
In 2016, Fiona's mother Josephine revealed that Fiona's father Sean had died by suicide as he struggled to cope with the loss of Fiona, her baby, and his son Mark who had died a year before Fiona's disappearance.[17]
Media
[edit]Fiona Pender's disappearance was highly publicised and covered in the true crime books Missing by Barry Cummins,[18] Missing, Presumed by Alan Bailey,[19] and The Vanishing Triangle by Claire McGowan.[20]
Her disappearance was also covered on multiple occasions on Crimecall,[21][22] an Irish television show which seeks public assistance in solving unsolved crimes. It was also featured in the documentary television series Six Silent Killings: Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle.[23]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Fiona Pender". Garda. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Murder of Fiona Pender last seen in August 1996". Garda. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Murder of Fiona Pender last seen in August 1996". Garda. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ a b c "15 years since disappearance of Fiona Pender". www.offalyexpress.ie. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Fiona Pender (Offaly)". Missing Irish People. 2015-04-08. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Missing woman's boyfriend is critical of gardai over arrests". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "'Please, please, tell me where my Fiona is buried' - Mum begs chief suspect in case of missing pregnant woman". Irish Independent. 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Fiona's make-shift cross was not a hoax, say gardai". Irish Independent. 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ MacGuill, Dan (2014-10-10). "Fiona Pender: A look back through an 18-year mystery". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Gardai liaising with foreign police after suspect in Fiona Pender disappearance arrested". Irish Independent. 2014-10-10. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Sexual assault arrest in Canada may lead to body in Irish cold case". IrishCentral.com. 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ "Partner of Fiona Pender case suspect gave info". Irish Independent. 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Suspect's ex-partner sparks new Fiona search". Irish Independent. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Beyond the Vanishing Triangle - catching a killer". RTÉ. 2023-05-11.
- ^ "Memorial created to missing Fiona Pender in Tullamore, Co Offaly". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ Murphy, Ann (2022-01-13). "Ashling Murphy killed just metres from childhood home of missing Fiona Pender". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
- ^ Armstrong, Kathy (2016-08-23). "Fiona Pender's disappearance had a heartbreaking affect on her family". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ Cummins, Barry (2010). Missing: Ireland's Disappeared. Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7171-4838-7.
- ^ "Author pens missing persons book". Irish Independent. 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "Annie McCarrick, Deirdre Jacob, Fiona Pender... 'There must be witnesses out there'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "'Fiona was a home bird and I need to bring her home' - Fiona Pender's mother on tonight's Crimecall". Irish Independent. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ Reporter. "Offaly gardaí seek 'critical information' in renewed Fiona Pender appeal". www.offalyexpress.ie. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ "Six missing women and me: The story of one intrepid reporter and Ireland's vanishing triangle". Irish Independent. 2023-11-12. Retrieved 2024-04-06.