More than 230 people reported missing since 2018 remain 'disappeared'

Almost 35,000 people have gone missing since 2018, new figures reveal, and 231 of these have yet to be found

More than 230 people who were reported missing since 2018 have yet to be found, new figures have revealed.

There have been a total of 34,089 missing persons reports filed with An Garda Síochána since 2018, and all but 231 of these have been found alive or their bodies have been recovered.

However, there have been calls for renewed focus on cold cases and the use of advanced DNA technology in an effort to trace those who remain ‘disappeared’. “In many cases, a loved one disappearing is worse than death,” said Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín. “The lack of closure is heartbreaking.”

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He said strong lines of communications were required between Gardaí and the families of missing persons, as well as a “fresh pair of eyes” to review cold cases from time to time.

Mr Tóibín told the Irish Mirror that he was aware of one case in which Gardaí failed to link the case of a missing person in Limerick to the body that was found in Galway Bay a month later.

“The body was left unidentified in a hospital mortuary for nearly two decades, and eventually buried in Galway before anyone made the connection between the two cases,” he said. The Meath West TD said the missing man’s elderly parents had been left with unanswered questions “for decades” without closure. “Advances in DNA should prompt a review of cold cases and evidence,” he added.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, who provided the latest figures to Mr Tóibín in response to a parliamentary question, acknowledged the “pain and trauma” experienced by the families of missing persons.

“I am deeply conscious of how difficult life is for loved ones who simply don’t know what has happened to their relative. My department is committed to working with all relevant state bodies to help more families find their missing relatives,” she said.

The information provided by the minister shows that 17 of the 3,909 people who were reported missing in 2018 are still missing. A total of 14 of the 3,549 who went missing in 2015 have yet to be found.

Last year, 4,596 people were reported missing and, of these, 38 remain missing. During the first nine month of this year, 3,131 people went missing and 73 have yet to be found.

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