LAST UPDATE | 11 Nov
GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING THE disappearance and murder of Josephine “Jo Jo” Dullard have begun a search following the arrest a man on suspicion of her murder this morning.
The man, aged in his 50s, is currently being detained under the provisions of section four of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a garda station in Co Kildare.
Jo Jo went missing 29 years ago, in November 1995. Her family have been campaigning for information since then.
Investigating gardaí today began a search operation on open ground at a location in Co Wicklow near the Wicklow/Kildare border.
The area of land will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations over the coming days.
The arrest and search operation is being led by the investigation team from Kildare Division Serious Crime Unit and the Serious Crime Review Team, part of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The search is being carried out by the Kildare Divisional Search Team, and is supported by the Garda National Technical Bureau and the local Divisional Scenes of Crime Unit.
The search operation has the support of other state expertise, if required, including the attendance of a forensic archaeologist on site.
Gardaí also searched two private residences this morning.
A renewed appeal for information was released by gardaí on Friday to mark the 29th anniversary of Jo Jo’s disappearance.
Jo Jo was born in Callan, Co Kilkenny, on 25 January 1974 and was 21 years old when she went missing.
She left her home in Callan at 8.30am on Thursday 9 November 1995 to travel by bus to Dublin.
Jo Jo met friends in Bruxelles Pub on Harry Street, just off Grafton Street, and stayed with them for the afternoon. She missed the last bus home to Kilkenny that evening and instead at 10pm boarded a bus to Naas, Co Kildare.
She then intended to hitch hike the rest of the way home to Callan, in Co Kilkenny. She hitched a lift from Naas to the slip road on the M9 motorway at Kilcullen, Co Kildare.
At approximately 11.15pm, Jo Jo hitched another lift to Moone, Co Kildare. In Moone, Jo Jo made a telephone call in a phone box to her friend Mary Cullinan at 11.37pm.
During that call, Jo Jo told Mary that a car had stopped for her and she was going to take the lift. This was the last known interaction with Jo Jo.
The following morning, Friday 10 November 1995, Jo Jo’s sister Kathleen reported her missing and gardaí launched an investigation.
Jo Jo’s father, John, died before she was born and her mother Nora died from cancer in 1983. Jo Jo was the youngest of five siblings – her sisters Mary, Nora and Kathleen, and brother Thomas.
Speaking to the Kildare Today programme on Kfm last Friday, Jo Jo was described by her sister Kathleen Bergin as a kind and caring person.
“She had a hard start, but she was like every child growing up – loved dressing up in mam’s clothes, the high heel shoes.
“She was clever and very bright, and she had her whole life ahead of her.
“She had so many brilliant friends, and even to this day, they miss her so much.”
When Jo Jo didn’t make it home on the Friday morning, her family knew something was wrong.
“Jo was the type of person [who] would let us know. She’d know we’d be worried about her,” said Kathleen.
“We knew in our hearts something terrible is after happening to her.”
The disappearance of Jo Jo has been the subject of a sustained garda investigation, led by the investigation team based at Naas Garda Station.
In November 2020, on the 25th anniversary of Jo Jo’s disappearance, An Garda Síochána confirmed that her disappearance was now classified as a murder investigation.
Kathleen says it was a relief to the family because they thought it would allow for more resources to be put into finding out what happened to Jo Jo.
Nearly 800 recommendations have been gathered by gardaí and generated new lines of enquiry.
On Friday, a garda spokesperson said:
Jo Jo’s family have now suffered from her disappearance for 29 years.
“An Garda Síochána is resolute in our determination to provide answers for Jo Jo’s family and bring her murderer to justice.”
Gardaí have appealed for anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant they might believe it to be, to contact Naas Garda Station on 045 884 300 or any garda station.
Anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially should contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
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