The disappearance and murder of Sinead Healy
When Missing Turns to Murder25 years ago, 26-year-old Sinead Healy disappeared from her home in London. She happened to be the fourth young woman who had vanished without a trace from the west London area.
It led to fears that a new serial killer was prowling the streets. Thankfully, this turned out to be false - and speculation driven purely by sensationalist media. But what had really happened to Sinead?
Join us here at Crime+Investigation as we dive deeper into a shocking disappearance and brutal murder. The case also features in the new series of When Missing Turns To Murder, which starts Monday, 21st July on Crime+Investigation.
Who was Sinead Healy?
Sinead Healy was a young woman from Ireland, hailing from Fethard, Clonmel in County Tipperary. When she was six years old, she moved to London and lived there till the time of her disappearance.
In 2000, Sinead was 26 and living in a flat on Gliddon Road in Hammersmith, west London. She had a job working in Fulham as a controller for a minicab firm. She was also beloved by those around her, described by friends as being 'vivacious' and 'fun-loving'. She was also traditionally Irish in appearance, with long red hair and a short stature (she was only five feet tall).
The disappearance of Sinead Healy
On 18th October 2000, Sinead disappeared without a trace. The last sighting of her was by a friend, where she was said to have been seen close to Charing Cross Hospital. It was also noted that before her disappearance, Sinead received a phone call. When the investigation began, police believed that the phone call had been the reason behind her disappearance, as they thought that Sinead had left to meet the caller.
However, the missing persons case soon turned out to be difficult to solve due to the lack of logic or sense to it. Sinead’s bank account was untouched, and her personal belongings had been left behind. It was initially thought that Sinead was the victim of a serial killer, as she was the fourth woman to disappear in the area. This was not the case, as would come to light six months after Sinead’s disappearance.
Sinead’s body is discovered
In March 2001, Sinead’s body was found dumped off the A40 motorway close to Beaconsfield. She was naked, had been brutally beaten to death, and buried in a shallow grave. To hide her body, Sinead had been covered in leaves. This was enough to ensure that drivers could not see her when they passed, and it worked, as her body was not found for six months.
What happened to Sinead Healy?
CCTV footage of the night that Sinead disappeared led to the discovery of her killer: 33-year-old Kenneth Lynch. Six years before her death, Sinead worked in Lynch’s phone shop, and they began a relationship.
At the time of Sinead’s murder, Lynch was on a four-day resettlement from Spring Hill prison, where he was serving time for dishonesty. This wasn’t his first run-in with the law, though, as he had also received a conviction for firing a shotgun in the middle of the street.
On the night of her death, Sinead was seen with Lynch leaving Fulham’s Salisbury Tavern in a minicab. Later that night, Sinead’s neighbors heard banging noises and a suspicious thud from her flat. During the investigation, DNA and blood of both Sinead and Lynch were discovered in her flat.
During Lynch’s trial, the court heard that Sinead and Lynch had a violent fight when they returned to her flat. Lynch then proceeded to beat Sinead to death with a blunt object before wrapping her up in a bedsheet. He then hid her in a wheelie bin and dumped her in a shallow grave next to the motorway the following day.
The trial of Kenneth Lynch
Lynch’s trial took place in April 2001. He pleaded not guilty, but the forensic evidence proved otherwise. He was found guilty of brutally murdering Sinead.
During the trial, Judge Gerald Forrester spoke bluntly, stating to Lynch, 'You murdered Sinead Healy, and having killed her in a cruel and callous way you disposed of her body by burying it in the way this case has revealed.' Lynch was sentenced to life imprisonment for Sinead’s murder.
The murder of Sinead Healy is a cruel story of unnecessary violence leading to the tragic loss of a young woman. Kenneth Lynch brutally took Sinead out of the world far before her time. However, Sinead will be remembered by her family and friends, while Lynch will remain behind bars for the rest of his life.
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