New documentary on life and disappearance of Sandra Collins to be published
A new nine-part podcast series from CrimeWorld.com charts and explores the investigation into what happened to Mayo woman Sandra Collins
ON a bitterly cold winter’s night, more than a quarter of a century ago, a 28-year-old woman vanished from a small fishing village on the north coast of Mayo.
Sandra Collins was last seen in a takeaway in Killala shortly after 11pm on December 4, 2000. The next day her aunt raised the alarm, sparking a massive manhunt, both on land and sea. But apart from a fleece jacket that mysteriously turned up five days after she disappeared, no sign of Sandra has ever been found since.
Her disappearance remains one of the most tragic and frustrating unsolved missing person cases in recent Irish history.
A new nine-part podcast series from CrimeWorld.com charts and explores the investigation into what happened to Sandra, and where she might now lie.
Ghost: The Disappearance of Sandra Collins delves into her family life in this remote and stunning part of Ireland’s west coast, building an intriguing picture of the home where she was raised in Fotish, and examining how she ended up as a young teenager taking care of a disabled aunt in Killala.
It scrutinises the work done by the gardai and follows up on all the rumours and facts - from suggestions of suicide to truculent former boyfriends, from a married lover to a crisis pregnancy. And most sensationally of all, a murder trial that lasted almost five weeks, but where ultimately the accused was acquitted by order of the judge.
Using never before heard recordings of Sandra, as well as in-depth interviews with her siblings, neighbours, local politicians and the detective who devoted 16 years of his career to trying to find her, this is the definitive account of who she was, the events that led to her vanishing, and the ongoing affects it has had on those who knew and loved her.
It also celebrates a rural based family, who have remained resolute and loving despite extraordinary misfortune. But most importantly it explains why Sandra’s family, and others, fervently believe that the key to where she is now lies is back in the picturesque village where she lived for more than a decade.
There are secrets still being kept in Killala. And while Sandra’s loved ones are no longer looking for justice, they will never give up on finding her body and giving her the Christian burial she deserves.
Ghost: The Disappearance of Sandra Collins, is a brand-new Crime World podcast. It will be launched this Tuesday, May 19, 2026, along with an accompanying YouTube documentary.