The family of a women who vanished and was murdered after the Slane Castle David Bowie concert in 1987 believe her killing was planned and carried out by somebody known to her.
Rachel and Lisa Smith believe people have information about the murder of their mother, Antoinette "Angie" Smith, and hoped they would feel better able to come forward now than they did at the time.
Their mother disappeared from Dublin city centre in the early hours of July 12th, 1987, having gone out socialising after the David Bowie concert on July 11th.
The mother of two young children, Lisa and Rachel, then aged seven and four, left the La Mirage nightclub in Parnell Street in the capital at around 2.15am and then vanished.
Nothing was heard of her for nine months, until her body was found. Her remains were discovered on April 3rd, 1988, in a drain by a turf-cutters' road on Glendoo Mountain, near the Lemass monument outside Enniskerry in Co Wicklow.
Her body was decomposed and gardaí believe she was killed at the time of her disappearance. A postmortem confirmed she had been murdered.
Lisa Smith said while the Garda had never suggested to the family that her mother was killed by someone she knew, the family has become convinced of that down the years. They also strongly suspect the killing was planned.
"I think the person is known to her," said Rachel Smith. "There's no way that in her right mind would she be willing to go up the Wicklow Mountains at night. I strongly think she knew her attacker.
“It could be a family member, it could be a neighbour, it could be a friend. Things could have escalated, things could have gotten out of hand on a night out drinking and things didn’t go plan.
“But this person left two young kids to grow up with no mother because they didn’t get their wicked way or whatever. It’s horrendous the way she was found; you wouldn’t leave a dog in that state.”
The Garda has no new leads in the case but a public appeal for information was made in Bray Garda station, Co Wicklow, on Friday as it was the 32nd anniversary of the last known sighting of Ms Smith.
Suspicions
Rachel and Lisa Smith say while 32 years have elapsed, it is possible somebody with information may now feel guilty or may be more willing to alert the Garda about suspicions they may have.
Lisa Smith said she and her sister were so young at the time that their father found it very hard to explain what had happened to their mother.
“It was a case of saying ‘your mam isn’t coming back’. How do you explain that to two small kids when we’re crying out for mammy?” she said.
“Every little girl wants their mam to dress them, do their hair, bring them to school,” she said, adding she felt her mother’s absence every day.
“We were very aware when we saw our friends with their parents that ‘my mammy’s not here’. It was hard. I’d be lying if I said it was easy; it wasn’t. There has always be that sense of ‘what if she was here?’.” she said.
Rachel Smith said it was possible that somebody involved in her mother’s killing was in a relationship that had since broken down. Their partner from the time may have had suspicions at the time but may not have acted on them out of fear or loyalty. But they may feel able to come forward now.
“The both of us, at the age we are now; we have both outlived her,” said Rachel Smith. “My dad is also getting older and we would really love to get justice for him too. It is only recently that he has even been able to talk about what happened.”
Anyone with information can contact Bray Garda station on 01-666 5300, or any Garda station, if they believe they can aid the murder investigation, which has remained open.
