New information and exclusive footage unearthed in new Fiona Sinnott documentary
An upcoming documentary about missing Wexford teenager, Fiona Sinnott, will examine her life prior to her murder.
Fiona, a mother of one, went missing in February 1998, but it was not until 2005 that her case was upgraded to a murder investigation.
Emmy-nominated Shauna Keogh, who has spent more than a year making the documentary called Getting Away With Murder, said new information, footage, and people have come to the fore in recent months.
“People have spoken out who have never spoken before. We have access to exclusive locations, as well as new information that has never been made public.”
For example, the inside of Fiona’s rented home is seen in the newly-released trailer of the documentary.
Shauna and the production team spent a lot of time in Wexford in the last year and unearthed information about Fiona’s life prior to her disappearance.
“The documentary reveals what Fiona’s life was really like prior to her murder and will cast a light on Irish society. There is also exclusive footage of Fiona from the time before her murder that has never been seen before,” said Ms Keogh.
The TV producer, who was behind I am Homicide, said the progress that the documentary has made on Fiona’s case would not be possible without the people of Wexford.
“The town of Wexford has really rallied in behind this documentary, and we have been welcomed with open arms.
"The people of Wexford want answers and want this case solved, it’s been hanging over the town for more than 20 years now. They want closure.
“This year marks Fiona’s 40th birthday and 20 years since her murder; time changes a lot of people,” she added.
Retired detective sergeant Alan Bailey, who headed up Operation Trace, which investigated Ireland’s missing women, said Fiona’s is the “most solvable” of cases.
However, despite the new evidence and footage that have been unearthed by the documentary, Ms Keogh said the real progress came about by asking the “right people the right questions”.
The fundamental thing with the documentary is asking the right people the right questions because there are answers there that were never given, especially on the night she went missing.
Fiona was 19 years old when she went missing. She had been looking forward to her daughter’s first birthday and had been planning it with her sisters.
She was also looking forward to celebrating her sister Diane’s 21st birthday at the time of her disappearance.
Ms Keogh, who has worked on many crime documentaries in the UK and the US, described Fiona’s case as an “immense tragedy”.
“It is an immense tragedy what happened — a 19-year-old single mother having her life snatched away. I have produced multiple crime documentaries series in the US and I never came across a tragedy like it,” she said.
Fiona’s family co-operated in the making of the documentary and last month told the that they had nothing left to lose.
“We know who killed Fiona. For so many years we were afraid to mention names but not anymore,” said Diane Sinnott, Fiona’s sister.
