‘I am absolutely devastated – it really hurts so much this year’ – Esra’s sister
By Maurice Garvey
THE sister of a woman missing for a decade is “totally heartbroken” as she is unable to come to Dublin for the tenth anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Esra Uryun, reports Maurice Garvey.
Berna Fidan, Esra’s sister, has made over 30 trips to Dublin from her London home since that fateful day in 2011.
Berna Fidan with poster appeal of her sister Esra Uryun
On February 23, 2011, Esra left her Collinstown Grove home in Clondalkin at 7.20am to get milk for her husband Osgar and son Emin, but was never seen again.
The Grey Renault Twingo she shared with her husband, was discovered later that day on the promenade in Bray.
Esra’s purse containing €50-60, was found in the boot of the car.
“I am absolutely devastated – it really hurts so much this year, of all the years, not to be able to go over on the tenth anniversary,” said Berna.
“Me and Ilknur (friend) were making plans, we were going to light up lanterns at the promenade into the air over the sea.”
Covid restrictions on movement and travel has led to many hidden pains like this case. Even though it hurts to come to Dublin every year, for Berna, retracing Esra’s last steps in Clondalkin and Bray, offers the only solace of comfort in the search for her sister.
“We usually go over to the annual Missing Persons event in Phoenix Park, which was virtual this year but it wasn’t the same. The organisers tried their best but there wasn’t the same connection with all the other families, which is something we look forward to, because you get ideas about different paths they took.”
Last year, gardai reopened Esra’s file as a fresh case, and it is due to feature on RTE’s Crimecall this week, but Berna has lost faith in the garda investigation.
“They told me that at the beginning, they went door-to-door in Collinstown, but didn’t do a follow up to get written statements. Last year they went back to the neighbour, who was the last person to see Esra getting into the car, and got a written statement from the neighbour. It makes no difference to the case, but if it has taken nine years to take a statement, what else have they missed.”
A key element of the case is Esra left the house at 7.20am. CCTV footage picked up the car at the Power City roundabout at approximately 8am – but this is a journey that should take less than five minutes.
CCTV footage is unable to identify the driver at the roundabout, nor is it able to identify the driver in Bray.
Berna suspects foul play, noting the aggressive driving manner of the Twingo in Bray, and a near collision with an unidentified Skoda driver, which she feels is more characteristic of a male driver.
“It was mid-term at the time she went missing, not many cars were on the road but it doesn’t take one hour and 50 minutes to get from Clondalkin to Bray. My dispute is, is she still in the car when it gets to Bray? The timeline makes it a bigger doubt. Did something happen? At the end of the day, it is still an open case.”
Berna appeals for anyone with information to email missingesra@gmail.com, or contact the National Missing Persons on 1800 911 999, or the Garda confidential line 1800 666 111.
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