Nearly thirty years ago, in August 1996, 25-year-old Fiona Pender disappeared and was never seen again. Detectives have always believed Ms Pender, who was seven months pregnant when she vanished, was murdered on the day she was last seen alive. However, her remains have never been found.

Earlier this week, gardaí announced the case had formally been upgraded to a murder investigation and began a search and excavation operation at Graigue near Killeigh village in Co Offaly.

Gardaí are now carrying out a second search operation in Co Laois.

What does the upgrade to murder inquiry mean for the investigation and why are gardaí suddenly conducting new searches?

And what do we know about the primary suspect in the case?

Crime and security editor Conor Lally discusses the latest developments in the case.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

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