A bicycle and rucksack could be key to finding a Limerick woman who hadn’t been seen for at least two weeks before she was formally reported missing.
Family and friends of 35-year-old Maria Hennigar have been searching hundreds of acres of land and kilometres of roads and coastline in the hope of finding some trace of her.
Volunteers from Clare Civil Defence have been using drone technology to search large areas of north Clare.
Specially trained and licensed volunteers have been using new Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) to search the coastline, country roads, streams and other areas inaccessible by searchers on foot.
Yesterday (Wednesday), Civil Defence personnel deployed the drones to search sea caves beneath the cliffs near Doolin.
Mystery surrounds the disappearance of the freelance filmmaker who was reported missing last week when a neighbour became concerned having not seen her for some time.
Gardaí issued a public appeal for help and confirmed that Maria had lived alone and kept to herself which is most likely why she wasn’t missed sooner. It’s thought Maria was last seen at Doonmacfelim, Doolin sometime in the first week of November.
Gardaí have established that there has been no activity on Maria’s bank or credit union accounts for several weeks.
It’s also understood that Maria’s mobile phone was found at her home but that her hiking boots, a ruck and bicycle were not there.
“We have no indication what has happened to Maria or where she might be. She may have gone for a cycle or hike but we’ve found no trace of her,” a Garda spokesman said.
It’s believed that finding her bicycle or rucksack would give Gardaí and search teams the best chance of locating Maria.
“She could have left her bike over a wall or in a ditch and gone hiking somewhere but we have nothing to point us in any particular direction. We would appeal to anyone who thinks they might have seen Maria or found a black bicycle, to contact us,” the Garda spokesman added.
In a message posted on Facebook, Maria’s sister Amanda thanked the public for their help to date.
“We are appealing again for any information on Maria’s bicycle. If you have seen it or have recognised it for sale anywhere please do get in touch. The bike has paint splashes on the frame. There was also a compass on the cross bar. Any sighting may lead us to Maria’s last known location. Someone may have information that may be vital in the continued search,” Amanda said.
Maria is described as 5’7″, brown hair, blue/green eyes and of medium build.
Anyone who may have seen Maria or may know of her whereabouts is asked to contact Ennistymon Garda station on 065 7072180, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
Meanwhile, human remains were discovered in a badly decomposed state in Kilcolgan Co Galway on Tuesday.
Dental records are expected to be used in an effort to establish whether the body is that of the missing woman.