Disappearance of Fiona Pender

Fiona Pender is an Irish woman who disappeared from her home in Tullamore, County Offaly on 23 August 1996 at the age of 25. She was seven months pregnant at the time of her disappearance. Gardaí suspect she was murdered.

Background

Fiona Pender was the only daughter of Sean and Josephine Pender and she had two brothers, Mark and John. Mark passed away in 1995. Prior to her disappearance Fiona had worked as hairdresser and as a model. She had lived in Croydon, London for a time where she worked in a hotel before returning to Ireland.

She was living with her partner, John Thompson, in a flat in Tullamore, County Offaly at the time of her disappearance. She was seven months pregnant.

Disappearance

On the day before her disappearance, Fiona had spent the day with her mother where they went shopping for baby clothes. She was described as being happy and looking forward to the birth of her child.

On 23 August 1996 Fiona was last seen at 6am by her partner John at their home on Church Street, Tullamore when he left to work on his family farm. A friend of Fiona's visited the home later that day but received no answer at the door. She was reported missing the following day.

Investigation

Numerous searches for Fiona were conducted including searches of the Grand Canal and Tullamore River. Searches for Fiona included Garda sub-aqua units, Air Corps helicopters, members of the civil defence, and tracker dogs. All maternity units in Ireland and the UK were notified of Fiona's disappearance as she was pregnant at the time of her disappearance. To date, not trace of Fiona or her baby have been found.

Fiona's partner, John Thompson, along with his three sisters and father were arrested for questioning by Gardaí in April of 1997. They were released without charge. John Thompson was identified as a suspect in the case.

In May 2008, a makeshift cross was found in Monicknew woods in the Slieve Bloom mountains reading "Fiona Pender. Buried here, August 22nd, 1996." This discovery lead to searches in the area for Fiona but nothing was found. However, Gardaí do not believe the cross was placed there as a hoax. Gardaí noted that the cross stated that Fiona was buried on the 22nd, despite her being reported last seen on the 23rd.

In 1999, Gardaí included Fiona Pender in Operation Trace, an inquiry into a number of high-profile disappearances of women in the 1990s.

In 2014 it was reported that the main suspect in Fiona's disappearance was arrested abroad. It was reported that the suspect was arrested in the Canadian city of Saskatoon for sexually assaulting and threatening to kill his wife. It was also reported that the current partner of the main suspect in Fiona's disappearance was cooperating with Gardaí. The woman told police in the country she now resides in that her partner had threatened her and claimed to have killed Fiona. This information led to further searches for Fiona that ultimately did not recover her body.

Aftermath

Fiona Pender's disappearance was highly publicized in Ireland and often included in connection with disappearances collectively known as Ireland's Vanishing Triangle.

In 2014, a memorial and walking trail were created to commemorate Fiona Pender in Offaly. Fiona's Way is a 4.5 km walk along the canal in Tullamore. In 2022, Ashling Murphy was murdered while jogging on Fiona's Way.

In 2016, Fiona's mother Josephine revealed that Fiona's father Sean had died by suicide as he struggled to cope with the loss of Fiona, her baby, and his son Mark who had died a year before Fiona's disappearance.

Media

Fiona Pender's disappearance was highly publicised and covered in the true crime books Missing by Barry Cummins, Missing, Presumed by Alan Bailey, and The Vanishing Triangle by Claire McGowan.

Her disappearance was also covered on multiple occasions on Crimecall, an Irish television show which seeks public assistance in solving unsolved crimes. It was also featured in the documentary television series Six Silent Killings: Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle.