'We're confident there's more information out there': Deirdre Jacob's family renew appeal on anniversary of her disappearance

THE FAMILY of Deirdre Jacob have made a renewed appeal for information as they mark the 28th anniversary of her disappearance, saying they remain convinced that "just one piece" of information could finally bring answers after nearly three decades.

Speaking to the Kildare Nationalist, Deirdre's father, Michael Jacob, said the family's only wish is to bring their daughter home.

"All we want to do is find out where Deirdre is and get her back and bring her back," he said. "That's all we want to do."

Tuesday 28 July 2026, marks 28 years since the then 18-year-old vanished after walking home to the family home at Roseberry, Newbridge, on what Mr Jacob described as "a very sunny July day". He noted that, as in 1998, the anniversary again falls on a Tuesday.

Deirdre was last seen shortly after 3pm near the entrance to her family home after spending the afternoon in Newbridge town. CCTV captured her visiting AIB Bank to take out a bank draft before calling to the Post Office. She was last seen on camera walking along Main Street before later being spotted near her home.

Deirdre was 5’3” in height with a slim build. She had grey/green eyes and dark, chin-length hair.

When she went missing she was wearing a navy, v-neck t-shirt with a white trim on the collar and sleeves, navy or black straight jeans and blue Nike runners, and was carrying a distinctive black satchel type bag with long shoulder straps and the word CAT in large yellow capital letters on the side. The black satchel bag has never been located.

In 2018, An Garda Síochána upgraded the investigation from a missing person inquiry to a murder investigation. Detectives attached to the Kildare Divisional Serious Crime Office continue to investigate the case.

Earlier this year, gardaí carried out two extensive searches as part of the investigation. While Mr Jacob admitted the searches brought renewed hope, he said experience has taught the family to remain cautious.

"Every time there's a search or there's a bit of information coming into the gardaí, naturally your hopes would rise a little bit," he said.

"But we're always cautious because there have been so many searches over the years that yielded no results."

Mr Jacob said gardaí have not publicly disclosed the outcome of the most recent searches for operational reasons, although the family has met with investigators involved.

"We need more information," he said. "That's the vital part of what we're doing at the moment."

Despite the passage of time, Mr Jacob believes crucial information remains out there.

"We're confident there's more information out there," he said. "It may be held by just one person or maybe more people."

He urged anyone with knowledge of what happened not to dismiss seemingly minor details or assume Gardaí already know them.

"People may feel the information is too insignificant or that somebody else has already told the gardaí," he said. "That's not the way of it."

He stressed that Gardaí would deal sensitively with anyone who comes forward, regardless of how much time has passed.

"If they're not willing to go directly to the gardaí, there is the Garda Confidential Line. They could speak to a member of the clergy. We ourselves are prepared to meet anyone who would like to talk to us and encourage them to bring that information to Gardaí."

Mr Jacob likened the investigation to completing a jigsaw puzzle.

"It may be something very, very small," he said. "With the amount of information already collected, it's like a jigsaw being pieced together. Maybe there's just one piece missing. That piece will fit in with the investigation and make all the difference."

He also asked people to reflect on the circumstances surrounding his daughter's disappearance.

"She couldn't just vanish into thin air," he said. "Something out of the ordinary, something maybe very sinister, happened to Deirdre that day. We want whoever has that information to think about that.

"We never stop thinking about it – morning, noon and night."

Mr Jacob thanked the public for the support shown over the past 28 years, both locally and across Ireland, and said every appeal continues to generate fresh leads.

"There's always some piece of information that comes in," he said. "People sometimes come forward again and remember a little bit more. That's what we're trying to achieve."

Anyone with information relating to Deirdre Jacob's disappearance is asked to contact the investigation team at Newbridge Garda Station on (045) 440 180, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.