Without a trace: Long-term missing women and girls and ‘ no-body ’ femicides from the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Missing persons are a major part of everyday policing. However, some missing person cases can be highly emotive and challenging such as missing women and girls. Women who go missing have a greater risk of coming to harm. This study focused on 38 long-term missing women and girls from the Irish Republic from 1971 to 2023 of which 12 cases are now classified as homicides, and the whereabouts of the bodies remain unknown. The majority of cases are in Leinster with 25. Eight missing persons are under 18 years, and 22 are between the ages of 18 and 45 years. Domestic violence was a feature in five cases, involvement in a fight prior to disappearance in seven cases, and inconsistencies in statements by intimate partners and close family members regarding the victim's mental health were noted in seven cases. In nine cases, the personal belongings of the victim remained in the home. In seven cases, there was suggestive evidence that the victim entered water. These factors were seen in both the missing and classified homicide cases. The suicide narrative is heavily implied in many of these cases. A woman's mental health and stage of life such as pregnancy, childbirth and menopause can be exploited and used as an advantage to a potential killer. It is therefore paramount that missing women who are considered to have taken their own lives should be thoroughly investigated, with a special focus on cases where evidence suggests drowning and jumping from a height.