'We want nothing more than Elizabeth to be reunited with her children and her family'

A DARK cloud hung over the Claremont Estate in Navan over the weekend as Gardai moved into the area with diggers as part of their investigation into the disappearance of local resident, Elizabeth Clarke in 2013.

The grim four day search of a house and garden in the estate was wound up on Monday, results of the search are not being released for operational purposes.

As the extensive search was carried out, residents were coming to terms with the news that the investigation into Elizabeth's disappearance has been upgraded to a murder inquiry.

The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Eddie Fennessy who grew up in the estate spoke of the heartfelt concerns of local residents.

“A dark cloud has hung over the Claremont Estate for a number of years. Elizabeth Clarke was a quiet and a pleasant young lady, and we all really liked her. I grew up on the estate, my parents still live there, I know the area and the local community quite well. I’ve spent a lot of time up there over the past few weeks speaking with residents who are very uneasy about the situation. We want nothing more than Elizabeth to be reunited with her children and her family.

“I ask the local community to be vigilant. There is a major operation in place. We need to give the authorities the time and the space they require to carry out a thorough investigation, which hopefully, will draw this very sad situation to a close."

The search of a house by gardaí investigating the disappearance of Elizabeth Clarke began on Friday and continued for four days.

Gardaí had upgraded the investigation to one of murder on Friday.

Members of the Meath Serious Crime Hub, the Meath Divisional Search Unit and the Garda National Technical Bureau are involved in the investigation.

The house was screened off and Gardaí said they were working "through very difficult conditions" to search the interior of the property. A number of skips at the front and back of the property were filled.

A mini digger carried out considerable excavation works in the back garden of the property and a drone was deployed on Saturday to take pictures and analyse the topography of the back garden.

The investigation is being led and coordinated by a Senior Investigating Officer and the search operation had the support of other state expertise, including a forensic archaeologist if required.

An Garda Síochána have updated the family on any developments.

Mother of two Elizabeth was 24 when she was last seen in Navan in late 2013. The 24 year old had been living in Navan at the time of her disappearance.

Ms Clarke was officially reported missing by her family 14 months later in January 2015 and an extensive investigation into her disappearance was launched.

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Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information in relation to the disappearance and murder of Ms Clarke to come forward.

A Garda spokesperson said: “Do not assume that An Garda Síochána either know that information and/or that it has limited value. Let the investigation team make that assessment.

“Given the time frame of this investigation, Gardaí are asking the public that if they have any information in relation to the disappearance and murder of Elizabeth and for some reason held back on information they may have had, to come forward now. An Garda Síochána wish to reassure them that they will be treated sensitively.”

The investigation team can be contacted at Navan Garda Station at 046 903 6100 or information can be reported via the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111 or at any garda station.”

Elizabeth, or Lizzie, as she was also known, grew up in Portrane, Co Dublin, and the family then moved to Bettystown. She had been living in Claremont Estate for a number of years and was the mother of two children. Her family in Dublin had little contact with her for a number of years and her family in Navan are believed to have last seen her in November 2013.

She was officially reported missing by her family in January 2015, and a full investigation into her disappearance was launched.

There have been no sightings of Elizabeth since then, no activity on bank accounts or social media accounts.

She is described as being 5ft 3ins in height, approximately seven stone in weight, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a yellow hooded top and blue jeans.

Gardaí have carried out extensive previous enquiries over the years, including house to house enquiries, land searches, canal and river searches assisted by the Garda Water Unit and Meath River Rescue, and her family have put up posters calling for her information on her whereabouts, but there have been no sightings of Elizabeth in over ten years.

Meath River Rescue were involved in serarches of the Blackwater and the Boyne, as well as many local culverts over a four week period in January 2015.

The RTE Crimecall team travelled to Navan in 2019 and Elizabeth’s family made an emotional appeal for information.

Elizabeth’s heartbroken aunt, Geraldine Olliffe says her family are relieved the investigation has been upgraded to a murder enquiry.

“It is about time. We are delighted they have upgraded it to a murder investigation. The whole family is in bits,” said Geraldine Olliffe.

Geraldine was supporting Elizabeth’s grandmother who reared her, following news of the Garda announcement. “She is heartbroken, we all are. We have to wait now and see what happens, The Gardai are appealing for information and I would urge anyone who has any information to contact the Gardai,” she said.

Her mother Noeleen Bieninda spoke of her heartbreak in an interview with the Meath Chronicle in 2018.

“It is heartbreaking, not knowing where she is. There is a part of me missing. She is in my head every day, 24/7.”

She appealed to anyone who knows anything about her whereabouts or what happened to her to come forward.

Noeleen had tried to stay positive and believe her daughter was alive, but deep down, she knew there was a strong possibility she was dead.

“People don’t just vanish like this. It doesn’t make sense.

“She had two children, she wouldn’t have just left them,” she said.

She could not bear to think her daughter is dead or has been killed.

“The pressure is terrible. I suffer from asthma and diabetes and all the worrying is making things worse,” she said.

Elizabeth was last seen in November 2013, although her mother hadn’t seen her for some time before that.

“She had spoken to us on the phone a few times but not for long.”

Noeleen got pregnant with Elizabeth when she was quite young and living at home and her parents raised Elizabeth as their own, but Noeleen was always involved in her life, and when she married her husband Klaus they lived nearby.

Elizabeth moved to Slane when she was 17 and some time later moved to a house in Navan.

Noeleen and her young son, Ricki went to stay for a visit at one time, but they later lost contact.

“She said she didn’t want to see us anymore, It was not an easy thing to hear.”

Noeleen and other members of the family continued to telephone her, but she would often hang up.

Noeleen said not having any indication of what happened her daughter is very hard to take.

“It is devastating, heartbreaking,” she says.

“My heart is broken about Elizabeth and about the children. We don’t know what happened to her.”