The case of a couple who vanished without trace 33 years ago on Tuesday is due to be featured on RTÉ’s Crimecall on Monday evening as gardaí continue to attempt to solve the mystery of their disappearance.
Conor and Sheila Dwyer lived at Chapel Hill in Fermoy, Co Cork. They were last seen at St Patrick's Church in the town on April 30th, 1991. Conor (62) and Sheila (61) had gone to the church for a funeral. The family of the couple spoke to Sheila by phone the following day. But they were never seen or heard from again.
A few days later a missing persons investigation was launched after concerns were raised about their whereabouts.
Gardaí went to the home of the couple and found that it was secure and all personal items such as clothes, passports and money were still on-site.
However, their car, a distinctive white Toyota Cressida registration number 5797 ZT, was not at the house. No trace of the couple or their car has ever been found.
Their disappearance remains one of Ireland's most mystifying missing persons cases. Despite a major Garda probe, both gardaí and the couple's family have been unable to determine their fate.
Retired garda Sgt Joe Watkins previously told Virgin Media News that the couple basically went to a funeral, got in their car and were never seen again. He says that the disappearance of the married couple still haunts him.
“All of their property was there [in the house]. There was money. There was passports. All of their possessions. If something was missing you would say they were emptying the wardrobe or something. That wasn’t the case.
“They have two sons. There is no closure for them. Their parents were never located. The car is the link. That distinctive Toyota Cressida.”
Conor and Sheila were known locally as a nicely dressed, polite couple who were well liked. They were quiet people who kept to themselves.
Mr Dwyer, a handyman, had worked for a time in Ireland for a German businessman.
Mr Dwyer ran errands for the businessman and also looked after his cars, including a Rolls Royce.
The last sighting was by a neighbour near their Chapel Hill home at 9.30am on April 30th as the couple left to attend a funeral.
On May 22nd, the alarm was raised when Ms Dwyer's sisters, Maisie and Nellie, became concerned at their inability to locate the couple and alerted gardaí.
The disappearance shocked neighbours, friends and family because there appeared to be nothing unusual with either Conor or Sheila.
The Dwyer case will be featured on Crimecall on RTÉ One at 9.35pm on Monday.
The show is broadcast once a month and features appeals for information concerning live investigations, CCTV footage of real criminal activity and reconstructions of major crimes.
