Vanished Without A Trace: The Unsolved Disappearances Haunting Kildare

There are over 890 people long-term missing across Ireland.

A series of disappearances, each as mysterious as the last, has left a trail of unanswered questions and a deep sense of loss for some families across Kildare.

As the years pass, these cases continue to haunt the families, friends, and communities of those who vanished, some as far back as 1995 and as recently as 2017.

With over 890 people missing long-term in Ireland, Kfm spoke to the man behind missing.ie, who gave us an insight into some leads the website has had.

In one case, a brother and sister were reunited after 53 years.

In another case, a missing person was found after 25 years.

"If people have information we pass it on to the authorities. People leave a message and contact details."

You can listen to the full interview below.

Just this week, the family of Marcin Michalak, a 35-year-old Polish national, posted an image to Facebook in the hope that someone might be able to give the family a fresh lead into his disappearance.

Marcin was last seen on April 17, 2016, in Maynooth. Described as a strong, athletic man with a partial beard and a tight haircut, Marcin was last observed on CCTV leaving a supermarket.

He was known to be driving a grey Mazda 6, which was later found abandoned near Luggala in the Wicklow Mountains, close to a popular hiking trail. His car - registration number 04 WX 203 - was discovered by Gardai on patrol.

The discovery of Marcin’s car in such a remote location suggested he might have gone for a hike, but despite extensive searches of the area, no trace of him was found.

In March 2017, 19-year-old Abdalle Ahmed Hussein, a Somali national who had recently arrived in Ireland, disappeared from Celbridge.

Abdalle had only been in the country for a short time. His sudden disappearance raised immediate concerns, given his vulnerable status as a recent immigrant with limited social connections.

Abdalle was last seen in Celbridge, where he had been residing temporarily. Despite efforts by the Gardaí to track his movements and appeals for public assistance, no information surfaced.

His case remains open.

The disappearance of Trevor Deely on December 8, 2000, is one of Ireland’s most high-profile missing person cases. Trevor, a 22-year-old from Naas working in Dublin, was last seen walking home after a Christmas party.

CCTV footage captured him at various points along his route, including an image of him speaking with an unidentified man outside his workplace on Haddington Road.

Despite the clear timeline of events leading up to his disappearance, Trevor’s case remains unsolved.

The footage shows him walking through the rain, but after that, the trail goes cold.

The Gardaí conducted extensive searches, including dredging the Grand Canal, but found nothing.

His family still seeking closure over two decades later. Trevor's dad passed away recently without ever knowing what happened to his son.

Martin Doyle is another young man who went missing from Suncroft.

Aged just 20, Garda said he has been missing from his home since October 4th, 2004.

At the time, he was wearing a navy jumper with a white stripe on the sleeve, navy tracksuit bottoms and runners.

Martin is described in his missing person profile as being 5 feet 2 inches in height, of thin build with short brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Alan Bradley was 24 years old when he was last seen on November 25, 1999.

A resident of Cluain Aoibhin in Maynooth, Alan was known for his involvement with environmental protest groups and his association with "new age traveller" communities.

Described as having long black hair, often dyed, and a penchant for silver jewelry, Alan was a distinctive figure. He is 5' 8" tall.

On the day of his disappearance, Alan was seen in Maynooth, but what happened next remains a mystery.

His connections to various protest groups led some to speculate that he might have gone off the grid intentionally, but his family and friends insist that he would have made contact if that were the case.

Despite extensive inquiries, Alan’s wherabouts is still unknown.

Josephine Dullard, known to those close to her as Jo Jo, was a 21-year-old woman from Callan, Co. Kilkenny.

On the night of November 9, 1995, Jo Jo was hitchhiking home after missing a bus from Dublin to her hometown.

Her last known communication was a phone call to a friend from a phone box in Moone where she mentioned her plan to catch a lift for the remaining journey.

Shortly after, a woman matching her description was seen conversing with the occupants of a dark-colored Toyota Carina.

Moone, a small, close-knit village, was rocked by the disappearance.

Witnesses reported seeing Jo Jo leaning into the back door of the car, a detail that would become a central piece of the investigation.

Despite extensive searches and public appeals, no trace of Jo Jo or the car’s occupants was ever found.

On July 28, 1998, 18-year-old Deirdre Jacob, a student at St. Mary’s University College in Twickenham, disappeared in broad daylight near her family’s home in the Roseberry area of Newbridge.

Deirdre had spent the day running errands in Newbridge town, a routine that should have brought her safely back to the Barretstown Road.

It was a sunny afternoon, and witnesses recall seeing Deirdre on her walk home, but somewhere along that familiar route, she vanished without a trace.

Deirdre’s case struck a particular chord, as it happened in a populated area, with many potential witnesses.

The subsequent investigation was one of the largest ever undertaken by the Gardaí, involving door-to-door inquiries, extensive searches, and a media campaign that spanned years. Yet, despite these efforts, Deirdre’s whereabouts remain unknown.

In a statement to Kfm, Gardai said all of the above cases are the subject of ongoing investigation.

An Garda Síochána continues to urge anyone with information to come forward to help bring these investigations to a successful conclusion.

"Generally, each case is periodically reviewed by local Gardaí, and as new information emerges, relevant lines of inquiry are pursued with support from National Units as needed," the spokesperson said.

Garda Confidential: 1800 666 111