THE SEARCH for missing Tullamore woman Fiona Pender resumed in the Slieve Bloom mountains yesterday, more than 12 years after she disappeared.
Members of the Defence Forces joined gardaí to form a 30-strong search team in the area around Monicknew where a two-day search was conducted for Ms Pender last May.
At that time, the search was initiated following the discovery of a crude wooden cross bearing the name Fiona Pender.
Supt Kevin Donohue of the Garda Press Office said at the scene yesterday that following the search in May, a soil expert from Britain had been called in and it had been decided that a full-scale search of a wider area was merited.
Metal detectors are being used in the current search as Ms Pender had had two metal pins inserted in her arm following an accident.
Once again the Garda and the Pender family are calling for anyone with information to come forward.
"Fiona Pender didn't disappear on her own," Supt Donohue said. "Someone has information and we would urge them to come forward now and talk to us."
Supt Donohue confirmed that gardaí had already spoken to a number of people who were involved in their original investigation.
"We will be speaking to many people again, but we do not anticipate any arrests."
Last night Ms Pender's mother Josephine repeated her plea for information on the whereabouts of her daughter's remains.
However, she added that she was sad that earlier searches for her daughter had not been carried out so thoroughly.
"We just want her to be found because it would mean we could bring her home and put a close to what has happened," Mrs Pender said.
"Every time something like this happens it gets more and more difficult."
The search for Fiona Pender will continue this week.