The brother of a Mayo woman who went missing 25 years ago today has said his sister's disappearance was the "closest thing to hell" for their family.
It is believed Sandra Collins was abducted and murdered, but despite a lengthy investigation, the whereabouts of her body is still unknown.
The 28-year-old was last seen in a takeaway in Killala at around 11pm on the night of 4 December 2000.
In the days that followed her disappearance, a fleece jacket belonging to her was found on the local pier, but her body was never recovered.
Gardaí have renewed their appeal for information and say they believe there are people with information that could be relevant to the ongoing investigation.
They are appealing for any details that could help bring a breakthrough in their inquiries.
Sandra's brother Patrick said his sister was pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said she had decided she could not go through with the pregnancy.
"She had been in been at the GP to have a pregnancy test and he told her she was pregnant," he said.
"She said that it was fine, that she understood and he said she wasn't upset or worried or anything else like that.
"She told him on the phone that she couldn't go through with the pregnancy and that she would have to go to the UK to have an abortion.
"He told her that she shouldn't make any rash decisions and that she had a little bit of time yet. And she said no, that she had her mind made up and that's what she wanted. She wasn't able to have a baby."
Mr Collins said Sandra was seen making calls in a phone kiosk in Killala throughout the rest of that day.
He said she had organised a trip to England for 20 December 2000 to terminate the pregnancy.
"But she never obviously showed up for that appointment," he said.
Mr Collins said his sister had not been seen for about three and a half hours before she was last seen in the takeaway in Killala that night.
"It was a really wet winter's night, and she's bone dry. No umbrella, nothing with her, just the fleece jacket that she was wearing," he said.
"She went up to the counter and she asked the woman in the counter for a large bag of chips. So enough really for two people."
Mr Collins said this was unusual for her as she would usually have a smaller order.
"She took the chips in under her coat and she disappeared into the night and that's the last time anyone saw Sandra alive."
Mr Collins said Sandra had planned to buy a mobile phone with her Social Welfare Christmas Bonus before she went missing.
"She sat in this sitting room here telling and showing my mum the picture of the mobile phone that she was going to buy, because she was getting the Social Welfare Christmas Bonus," he said.
"It's been issued this week and every time it's issued I think of her.
"I often think to myself, if she had had the bonus the week before, and got the mobile phone, would it have made any difference? Would she have been able to ring for help or do something?"
Mr Collins said his sister's disappearance was the "closest thing to hell" for his family.
"Our brother James got killed in an accident six months before Sandra went missing and he was 26 ... We were still reeling from that," he said.
"This is something that I can't really describe to people ... I think it's the closest thing to hell that there can exist on this planet, when somebody you love is out there and you don't know where they are and where they're buried."
Mr Collins said his family always decorate their house for Christmas every year on the anniversary of Sandra's disappearance, and raise money for charity in doing so.
"My dad started a tradition in 2006. I think he just didn't know what to do ... So he started decorating our house bit by bit in Christmas lights," he said.
"Every year we collect for charity ... we've raised thousands of euro.
"I wish that Sandra could know that even in her death she's helped so many people, because when she was alive, all she ever did was help people."
The Collins family will be joined by friends and neighbours tonight as they decorate, to mark the quarter century since she was last seen alive.
Mr Collins appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
"Please come forward and let us find Sandra," he said.
"She doesn't deserve to be left in some ditch or some drain or some bog hole wrapped in God knows what.
"Let us bury her properly with the dignity that she deserves."
Detectives are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may be less constrained by circumstances 25 years ago and who might now be willing to share information with them.
They say anybody who makes contact will be treated with confidentiality, compassion and sensitivity.
Anyone with information can contact Ballina Garda Station on 096 20560, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
