Ireland Case No. 3821Murder · Co. Kildare · 9 Nov 1995
Gardaí resume dig in Kildare murder investigation
Jo Jo Dullard, 21, disappeared from Moone, County Kildare, on 9 November 1995 while hitchhiking home from Dublin to Callan, County Kilkenny, and Deirdre Jacob was last seen near Newbridge in July 1998; both women are presumed murdered. The investigation was upgraded to a murder inquiry in 2020, and a man in his 50s was arrested in 2024 but released without charge. A search operation was launched on 16 February 2026 at a quarry on the Kildare/Wicklow border, where gardaí recovered a car axle in late February. Gardaí resumed excavation at the site in June 2026 as part of the ongoing probe.
- Reported2 Jan
4 reports - Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Jo Jo Dullard, 21, disappeared from Moone, County Kildare, on 9 November 1995 while hitchhiking home from Dublin to Callan, County Kilkenny.
- Deirdre Jacob was last seen on 28 July 1998 near her home in Newbridge.
- Both women are presumed murdered.
- Where
- The search operation is taking place at a quarry on the Kildare/Wicklow border.
- When
- The search operation was launched on 16 February 2026 and resumed in June 2026.
- Investigation
- The investigation was upgraded to a murder inquiry in 2020, though one source cites 2018.
- A man in his 50s was arrested in 2024 on suspicion of murder and released without charge.
- Gardaí recovered a car axle during an excavation at the quarry in February 2026.
- The search is led by the Serious Crime Review Team and the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
- Other details
- Larry Murphy is described as a convicted rapist, and the recovered car axle could be linked to a vehicle he was reportedly seen burying in the area.
63 statements extracted from the articles
- whatJo Jo Dullard, 21, went missing from Moone in Co Kildare. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatShe had missed the last direct bus back to Kilkenny and had been hitching lifts from Naas, Co. Kildare. (irishtimes.com)
- whatShe was using a public phone in Moone when she told a friend a car had stopped and she was going to get a lift. (irishtimes.com)
- whatBoth women are presumed murdered. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatGardaí are investigating the disappearance and murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whatGardaí recovered the axle of a car during a search linked to the murder inquiry. (kildarenow.com)
- whatGardaí are investigating the murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob. (thejournal.ie)
- whereJo Jo vanished in Moone, County Kildare, while trying to get back to her home in Callan, Co Kilkenny. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereJo Jo was seen in Bruxelles Bar on Harry Street, Dublin 2, on the night she vanished. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereShe was attempting to make her way home to Callan, Co. Kilkenny. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe search takes place on open ground in Co. Wicklow near the Wicklow/Kildare border. (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe search is taking place on open ground in County Wicklow near the Wicklow/Kildare border. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whereJo Jo Dullard hitched a lift to Moone, County Kildare, at about 11.15pm. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whereThe discovery was made at a quarry on the Kildare/Wicklow border. (kildarenow.com)
- whereThe site visited is between Baltinglass and Blessington. (kildarenow.com)
- whereThe dig is focused on an area of ground near the Wicklow and Kildare border. (thejournal.ie)
- whenJo Jo disappeared on 9 November 1995. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenJo Jo Dullard was last seen shortly before midnight on 9 November 1995 in Moone, Co. Kildare. (irishtimes.com)
- whenA search operation was launched on 16 February 2026 into the disappearance and murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenJo Jo Dullard, 21, went missing from Moone in Co. Kildare on 9 November 1995 while trying to hitchhike home from Dublin. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenJo Jo Dullard went missing on 9 November 1995. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- whenThe excavation began the week before the discovery, after new information from a witness. (kildarenow.com)
- whenDeirdre Jacob was last seen on 28 July 1998 near her home in Newbridge. (thejournal.ie)
- whenJo Jo Dullard disappeared in 1995 from Moone, County Kildare. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí have launched a fresh appeal for information on the 30th anniversary of her disappearance. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationIn November 2020, gardaí confirmed that her disappearance was classified as a murder investigation. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationGardaí are appealing to anyone who met, saw, or has information about the disappearance after 11.37pm on the night of 9 November 1995 to come forward. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationIn October 2020, gardaí upgraded the investigation into her disappearance to a murder inquiry. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationFor three weeks in November and December 2024, a Garda excavation of land near Grangecon in Co. Wicklow was searched to locate her body or evidence. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA man in his 50s was the first person arrested on suspicion of her murder 14 months ago but was released without charge. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA three-week search of the Usk Little woodland area on the Kildare/Wicklow boundary was carried out four years ago after fresh information came to light. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe area will be subject to excavation and technical and forensic examinations over the coming days. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationGardaí are keeping an open mind in relation to the investigations. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe search is led by the Serious Crime Review Team, Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, supported by the Garda National Technical Bureau and Kildare Division resources. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe area of land will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations over the coming days. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- investigationThe search operation is led by the Serious Crime Review Team and the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- investigationOn the 25th anniversary of her disappearance, gardaí reclassified the investigation as murder. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- investigationIn 2024 a man in his 50s was arrested in the investigation and released without charge. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- investigationThe search is led by the Serious Crime Review Team and Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. (kildarenow.com)
- investigationThe area will be searched and subject to excavation and forensic examinations over several days. (kildarenow.com)
- investigationThe operation involves Irish Defence Forces personnel. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí upgraded the disappearances to murder investigations in 2018. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationAnother dig took place in February. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationInvestigators from the Serious Crime Review Team in the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation have been working through witness statements. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationNew witnesses have come forward since the renewed focus on the case. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationCredible information led gardaí to Usk Little on the Wicklow and Kildare border. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí have not yet found anything at the new dig site. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí travelled to London a number of years ago to interview a chief suspect, but this failed to generate any sufficient leads. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí have obtained a drone no-fly zone over the site. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationA major search has been launched over the murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob. (extra.ie)
- otherThat was the last known sighting of her. (irishtimes.com)
- otherShe was the youngest of five siblings. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHer father John died before she was born and her mother Nora died in 1983 from cancer. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHer sister Mary Phelan died in 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe families of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob have been kept updated and fully appraised of the developments. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherJo Jo Dullard's last known interaction was a phone call to her friend Mary Cullinan at 11.37pm. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- otherGardaí appealed to anyone with information to contact any garda station or the Garda Confidential Line. (kilkennypeople.ie)
- otherThe discovered car axle could be linked to the vehicle Larry Murphy was reportedly seen burying. (kildarenow.com)
- otherLarry Murphy is described as a convicted rapist. (kildarenow.com)
- otherDeirdre Jacob is one of at least six women who vanished in the east of the country in the 1990s. (thejournal.ie)
- otherJo Jo Dullard's disappearance was also upgraded to murder earlier this year. (thejournal.ie)
- otherWork at the dig will continue on Tuesday morning. (thejournal.ie)
- otherGardaí appeal to anyone with information to contact Kildare Garda station or the Garda Confidential Line. (thejournal.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 15 Jun2026Major search launched over murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob
The article body is empty template code. The only substantive content is the headline, which reports a search over two named murders.
victim, Jo Jo Dullard, irish (judged from name)Jo Jo Dullardvictim, Deirdre Jacob, irish (judged from name)Deirdre Jacob - 1 Jun2026Gardaí to resume dig tomorrow as part of probe into murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob
Reports a further search dig at a Wicklow/Kildare border site in the cold case investigation into two women's disappearances, now treated as murders, including the drone no-fly zone and the appeal for information.
victim, Jo Jo Dullard, female, irish (judged from name)Jo Jo Dullardvictim, Deirdre Jacob, female, irish (judged from name)Deirdre Jacobsuspect - 23 Feb2026BREAKING: Gardaí searching Kildare border site in Deirdre Jacob case make discovery
Reports that gardaí recovered a car axle during an excavation at a quarry on the Kildare/Wicklow border, linked to the Deirdre Jacob murder inquiry, and that a line of inquiry concerns Larry Murphy allegedly burying a car in the area. Also names JoJo Dullard as missing alongside Deirdre Jacob.
victim, Deirdre Jacob, female, irish (judged from name)Deirdre Jacobvictim, JoJo Dullard, irish (judged from name)JoJo Dullardsuspect, Larry Murphy, named, irish (judged from name)Larry Murphy - 16 Feb2026BREAKING: Fresh garda search operation for missing Kilkenny woman Jo Jo Dullard begins
Reports a new search operation in County Wicklow, names Deirdre Jacob as a second victim, and gives background on Jo Jo Dullard's last known movements and a 2024 arrest that ended without charge.
victim, Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullard, female, irish (judged from name)Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullardvictim, Deirdre Jacob, female, irish (judged from name)Deirdre Jacob - 16 Feb2026Search operation launched into disappearance of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob
Reports the launch of a search operation by the Serious Crime Review Team on open ground in Co. Wicklow, with excavation and forensic examinations planned over the coming days.
victim, Jo Jo Dullard, 21, female, irish (judged from name)Jo Jo Dullardvictim, Deirdre Jacob, female, irish (judged from name)Deirdre Jacob - 2 Jan2026Jo Jo Dullard’s sister appeals for information 30 years on from suspected murder
Sister Kathleen Bergin issues a new public appeal for information 30 years after the disappearance; article details prior investigation steps including the 2020 upgrade to a murder inquiry, a 2024 excavation near Grangecon, Co. Wicklow, and the arrest and release without charge of a man in his 50s.
victim, Jo Jo Dullard, 21, female, irish (judged from name)Jo Jo Dullardsuspect, 50s, male - 9 Nov2025Fresh appeal for information on anniversary of Jo Jo Dullard disappearance
Cold-case appeal on the 30th anniversary of the disappearance; gardaí are asking anyone who saw or met Jo Jo after 11.37pm on the night she vanished to come forward.
victim, Josephine “Jo Jo” Dullard, 21, female, irish (judged from name)Josephine “Jo Jo” Dullard