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JoJo Dullard, the 21-year-old Kilkenny woman who disappeared without a trace 25 years ago, is dead and “met death by violent means,” Gardaí concluded.
The disappearance of Ms Dullard, who was last seen in Moone, Co Kildare, is now being treated as a murder investigation and open case detectives are issuing a new appeal for information, including from those who may have given false statements in the past.
The classification of the case as a murder investigation comes as a result of a review by the Garda Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT) that began in February.
In 1999, Garda posters were posted requesting the public’s help in locating the Kilkenny woman. Photography: Bryan O’Brien
Detectives, led by Detective Superintendent Desmond McTiernan, conducted an independent review of the files in the Dullard disappearance case.
An important part of his work was an analysis of “victimology and proof of life”. This process allowed them to reasonably determine that Ms. Dullard is no longer alive and that she was not found to have died by suicide, Det Supt McTiernan said.
“We cannot amount to murder simply on a hunch. We have to have a reasonable justification that shows why we classify it as murder. The work that has been done to classify it as that is substantial. “
He said that after having carried out this work, the Gardaí are “quite satisfied that Jo Jo is dead and has known her death by violent means.”
Jo Jo Dullard’s sister Mary Phelan, right, with her husband Martin and children with the memorial stone in addition to the phone booth from which Jo Jo made her last call. Photography: John Cogill
Ms. Dullard enjoyed life, had plans for the future, and was excited about those plans, she said.
“We are pleased that now that JoJo has suffered damage in Moone and we are classifying this investigation as a murder,” said Kildare Superintendent Martin Walker.
Gardaí was reluctant to share any new information they may have gathered since February in connection with the investigation.
Supt Walker said there was no “silver bullet” that would advance the investigation. Instead, he cited the “hard work” of the SCRT.
Det Supt McTiernan declined to comment on any new information he has received since February.
He said the investigation will focus on “old rumors and old information and current intelligence and current information,” but that it will largely depend on people submitting information.
At a press conference in Newbridge, Ms. Dullard’s sister, Kathleen Bergin, made an emotional request for help “getting JoJo home.”
“After all these years, we have known in our hearts and accepted that JoJo is no longer alive and we are hopeful that the team can move forward with the case and maybe please find answers to our questions.
He called for people with information to “find it in their heart” to come forward. “We understand if fear has been holding them back. Please believe us. We just want JoJo to be brought home. You will not be judged. “
No one has ever been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Ms. Dullard on the night of November 9, 1995.
Rumors circulated for years that she and other missing women were the victims of a serial killer operating in the eastern part of the country in the mid to late 1990s. Today the Gardaí are skeptical of the theory; it is now suspected that most of the missing women were killed by someone they knew.
JoJoDullard’s memorial plaque, Moone, Co. Kildare Photo: Dara Mac Dónaill
However, this is not the case with the murder of Ms. Dullard and no significant suspect in her disappearance has ever been identified.
Ms. Dullard had been socializing at Bruxelles Bar in Dublin on November 9th before beginning her journey home to Callan in Kilkenny.
He missed the last bus to Callan so he took a bus to Naas before taking two elevators to Moone. At 11:37 p.m. she called a friend from a phone booth in Moone to tell her that she would be home soon and that a car had just stopped for her. That was the last time anyone heard from Mrs. Dullard.
At the time, Ms. Dullard was wearing blue jeans, black boots, and a small backpack. He also wore a black Sanyo cassette player and matching headphones.
On Monday, gardaí said he is particularly interested in anyone who has found the portable cassette player or has been given suspicious circumstances, perhaps as a Christmas present.
They are also willing to talk to anyone who hitchhiked in Moone, Co. Kildare in late October 1995 or early November 1995, or anyone who picked up a hitchhiker during that period.
“I know it’s 25 years, but it’s very important that people examine their conscience and come forward,” Supt Walker said.
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