The three-decade search to find missing 'Jo Jo'

Almost three decades since her disappearance, the mystery endures.

Why did 21-year-old Josephine “Jo Jo” Dullard go missing from Moone in County Kildare in 1995?

Just over 29 years later, her case remains unsolved.

It was not until 2020 that the investigation was upgraded from a missing person to a murder inquiry.

On Monday, a man was arrested on suspicion of murdering Ms Dullard. However, he has since been released without charge.

Gardaí (Irish police) have also been carrying out searches along the border of counties Wicklow and Kildare.

On 9 November 1995, Ms Dullard travelled to Dublin, where she spent the evening at Bruxelles Bar on Harry Street, just off Grafton Street.

That evening, she missed her last bus home to Kilkenny and, at 22:00 local time, boarded a bus to Naas in County Kildare, intending to hitchhike home to Callan.

Ms Dullard hitched a lift from Naas to the slip road on the M9 motorway at Kilcullen.

At about 23:15 she got another lift to the village of Moone, about an hour's drive from her home town.

Once in Moone, at 23:37, Ms Dullard made a phone call to her friend, Mary Cullinan.

During the call she told Ms Cullinan a car had stopped to offer her a ride and she was planning to accept it.

This was the last known interaction she had with anyone.

The following morning, on 10 November 1995, she was reported missing by her sister, Kathleen.

Jo Jo had her Sanyo stereo cassette player (model MGP21) with her at the time of her disappearance.

For 29 years Ms Dullard’s disappearance has been the subject of a police investigation.

Her sister, Mary Phelan, campaigned relentlessly over the years.

In 2008, the Crimestoppers Trust, Ireland’s national freephone crime fighting service, announced it was offering a €10,000 reward for information to assist gardaí in their ongoing investigation into what happened on the night of Ms Dullard’s disappearance.

Her case was also highlighted on RTÉ’s Crimecall programme on numerous occasions over the years.

On 19 October 2020, almost 25 years on from her disappearance, An Garda Síochána announced it was upgrading the case to that of murder.

Announcing the upgraded investigation, An Garda Síochána said it was “satisfied that serious harm” came to Ms Dullard on the night of 9 November 1995.

At the time, gardaí said it was "another traumatic day for Jo Jo's family as her case is publicly confirmed to be now an active murder investigation.”

Fast forward to last Saturday, the 29th anniversary of Ms Dullard’s disappearance.

An Garda Síochána issued a fresh appeal for information regarding her case.

It said the investigation had progressed and nearly 800 recommendations have been identified.

These recommendations, it added, had informed and generated new lines of inquiry for the investigation team based at Naas Garda Station.

“Jo Jo's family have now suffered from her disappearance for 29 years,” gardaí said in the statement.

“An Garda Síochána is resolute in our determination to provide answers for Jo Jo's family and bring her murderer to justice.”

On Monday, a man, aged in his 50s, was arrested on suspicion of murdering Ms Dullard. He was detained at a Garda station in County Kildare.

This was the first arrest in the case.

Investigating officers commenced a search operation on open ground, near the border of Wicklow and Kildare, about a 10-minute drive from Moone.

“This area of land will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations over the coming days,” Supt Paul Burke told reporters.

Two properties were also searched by gardaí on Monday.

“An Garda Síochána has been and continues to keep the family of Jo Jo Dullard fully updated in relation to this investigation and they have been fully apprised of all... developments,” Supt Burke added.

On Tuesday, the man was released without charge.

As of Wednesday, the search operation was still ongoing.