TODAY MARKS 12 years since the day Sandra Collins went missing in Killala, Co Mayo.
The 28-year-old was last seen buying a large bag of chips from a local takeaway in the town at around 11.30pm on Tuesday, 4 December 2000.
Sandra’s family have made a fresh appeal for information about the location of her body so they “can find her and give her a decent Christian burial and be set free from this nightmare of not knowing where she is”.
Patrick Collins, Sandra’s brother, told TheJournal.ie that their goal and main concern will always be to find her:
It’s another year and we still don’t have her. We are asking people if they could find it in their hearts to give the Gardaí any information they might have so we can bury her with my mother and brother.There are so many unanswered questions. Somebody, somewhere holds the key.
We haven’t forgotten Sandra, she has a family here that is waiting for her.
At the time of her disappearance, she was living at 8 Court House Street, Killala with her aunt who she was caring for because she suffered from arthritis.
She was seen at around 7.30pm on the evening she disappeared at Birrane’s shop picking up some groceries. She then headed back out that night for a takeaway at 11.30pm and that’s the last time she was ever seen.
“It is very difficult that one day she was here and the next she was gone,” said Patrick.
When she disappeared she was wearing black boots, black pants, a beige sleeveless top and a maroon/beige sleeveless fleece jacket. Four days after she went missing her fleece jacket was found on the pier in Killala. Patrick added:
We have long accepted that she not coming home alive because she would never do this to us and we don’t think she committed suicide either. Now we just want to know where she is.
Three people have been arrested in connection with her disappearance but all were released without charge and a file has been sent to the DPP.
Gardaí told TheJournal.ie that their investigation into her disappearance is "active and ongoing".
"There isn't a day that we don’t talk about Sandra. Every funeral we go to we think maybe tomorrow it’ll be our turn. We just want closure," Patrick said.
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