Gardai investigating the disappearance and supposed murder of Deirdre Jacob may search a location in Laois in a bid to solve the 20-year-old case.
The Irish Times reports that this is one of two areas currently being considered as places ‘of interest’.
Deirdre was just 18 years old when she vanished from outside her family home in Roseberry, Newbridge on July 28, 1998.
No trace of the young woman has ever been found.
Her parents Michael and Bernadette launched an appeal on the anniversary three weeks ago and Gardai were supplied with new information which led to the investigation being upgraded from a missing persons inquiry to a murder investigation.
The Irish Times say Gardaí are also examining a chief suspect for the crime – a man in his 50s who has been known to them for many years.
The suspect, who is abroad at present, travelled in Carlow, Kildare, Wicklow and Dublin as part of his job .
Because of that, they say gardaí believe he had intimate knowledge of many remote areas in those counties.
Gardaí have identified a wooded area in east Wicklow and a second location in a remote area on the border between counties Laois and Carlow as places of interest in the search for Deirdre Jacob’s remains.
The areas now set for examination are places gardaí believe the chief suspect was familiar with and would have felt comfortable operating in.
Garda sources cautioned against expectations that the teenager’s remains were about to be found or that criminal charges were about to be brought against a suspect.
Gardaí released a statement on Tuesday confirming the receipt of new information and the resultant upgrading of the investigation to a murder inquiry.
They are now hopeful the publicity around the case over the past 48 hours will prompt people who were close to the suspect in the late 1990s to come forward and provide more information.
Anyone with information can contact the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111 or Newbridge Garda Station at 045-431212.
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