THIS is the broken window which alerted search teams to locate missing American tourist Kelly Jones.
The small pane of glass lies smashed on the ground. The remaining space has since been boarded up.
But it was intact at 7.45pm on Monday when search teams searched around the old rectory in Glencolmcille. Three different witnesses have confirmed this to donegaldaily.com.
Forty hours later when search teams were once again searching the grounds around the holiday home, it was found to be broken.
A desperate Kelly was seen walking in a distressed state inside.
Yet the doors to the building were locked and gardai had to use keys to gain access to rescue her.
“There’s no way she (Kelly) got into that house through the broken window. It’s too small,” said one Garda source.
“It is just a mystery how she got in there and why the house was locked. She was definitely locked inside when the search party was there on Wednesday.
“No wonder people thought she was taken there by someone else. It just doesn’t add up.”
Gardai however – who have yet to find out anything from the 41-year-old South Carolina-based catering services manager – have now said she was alone throughout her ordeal from Saturday 11am until Wednesday 12.30pm.
Exactly why or how they know this remains a mystery, as gardai refuse to discuss the case in detail.
The broken window is too small for anyone to fit through. And there is no latch or doorway near to reach.
Garda Superintendent Mick Finan would only say: “The only person who can tell us where she was is Kelly herself. We haven’t spoken to her yet.
“We are going to be guided by her medical team in Sligo as to when we can speak to her.”
The search, he said, had been concentrated on the mountains around the area because the last confirmed sighting had been there.
“The grounds around the rectory had been searched but we hadn’t searched the house because what we were looking for was someone out in the open. We hadn’t expected someone to actually in a house.
“This house is by no means a derelict house. It is a holiday home and it was locked up. Kelly was found lying on a couch in the house,” he added.
Sources say Kelly may have been on medication prior to her arrival in Donegal and may have mislaid her tablets on Saturday, causing a blackout, distress and memory loss.
A cousin has praised the work of the hundreds of volunteers and gardai who had spent five days searching for Kelly.
In a message to them, Dana Bailey said: “Thanks so much for not giving up the search for my cousin Kelly. Our family greatly appreciates everyone’s efforts.”
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