The Vanishings stars India Mullen (Image: CHANNEL 5)
The Vanishing airs on Channel 5 this week and the series is based on a harrowing true story about a number of Irish women who went missing in the late 80s and 90s. The six-part crime thriller stars India Mullen as Lisa Wallace, an investigative journalist.
When she writes an article on her mother’s murder, the killer resurfaces, hinting at a kidnapping. Lisa and Detective David Burkely (Allen Leech) investigate, connecting the killer to the disappearance of a woman called Amy Reynolds.
Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle is a term used by the Irish media when referring to a number of high-profile disappearances of women in the eastern part of the island. The events took place near the boundaries of Leinster, in an 80-mile area outside Dublin.
All of the cases shared some common links including the victims’ ages, as they were all between their late teens to late 30s. They all disappeared suddenly, without explanation, and there were no substantial clues of their fate.
Irish police believe the bodies were buried in desolate fields, bogs and forests. Due to the similarities between the cases, it was believed a serial killer may have been active during that time.
The Vanishings is based on a true story (Image: CHANNEL 5)
Police set up an investigation task force in September 1998 called Operation Trace, to focus on the unsolved disappearances.
However, to this day, it has failed to offer up any clues as to the women’s whereabouts despite a €10,000 reward being offered for information resulting in the recovery of a body.
There were also a number of homicides that took place during the same time period.
The named missing women include Annie Bridget McCarrick, 26, who disappeared in March 1993 and Eva Brennan, 39, who went missing four months later.
Imelda Keenan, 22, disappeared in January 1994 and Jo Jo Dullard, 21, went missing in November 1995.
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The Vanishings is about a number of missing women in Ireland (Image: CHANNEL 5)
The disappearances were followed by Fiona Pender, 25, in August 1996 and Ciara Breen, 17, in February 1997.
Fiona Sinnott, 19, went missing in February 1998 and Deirdre Jacob, 18, went missing in July 1998.
There were also three murder victims – Angie Greene Smith, 27, Patricia Moriarty Doherty, 29, and Marie Kilmartin, 35.
Angie had been raped and strangled after she went missing following a David Bowie concert.
Patricia had been strangled after her husband reported her missing on Christmas Day.
Marie had been strangled after a man had used a phonebox to call her landline and she had subsequently left her house.
The Vanishing airs on Channel 5 on Thursday, February 6 at 9pm