THE FAMILY OF missing Mayo woman Sandra Collins have said they do not believe the theory that she was pregnant when she disappeared more than ten years ago.

The suggestion that Collins had been killed by a mystery lover after telling him that she was going to have a baby was rejected by her brother, Patrick, who said that his sister would have informed her family. He said that Collins had previously had a baby, a little girl who she gave up for adoption, and had told her family as soon as she discovered she was pregnant, reports The Star.

Several people were arrested in connection with the case last week, after gardaí renewed their appeal for information.

A 58-year-old man was released on Friday after being questioned by gardaí and detained for 24 hours. A file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

On Wednesday, a 46-year-old man was arrested in connection with the case and was released 24 hours later.

The arrests of the men followed that of a 21-year-old woman on Monday, who was arrested on suspicion of withholding information. The gardaí suspect that the woman, who would have been 11 years-old at the time of Collins’ disappearance, was involved in a non-familial relationship with one of the men and had been privy to information relevant to the case.

Sandra Collins was last seen in a takeaway called the Country Kitchen in Killala, Co Mayo, on the night of 4 December 2000. She was 29 years old.

Read more in the print edition of today’s Star >