Fresh Search Launched in Wicklow for Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob — Cases Now Treated as Murders

Gardaí have launched a renewed excavation and forensic search on open ground near the Wicklow–Kildare border as part of two long-running investigations into women who went missing in the 1990s and whose cases have since been upgraded to murder inquiries.

Search Details

The operation began on 15 June and will include targeted excavation and detailed forensic examinations of the area. A technical ground survey has already been completed by Gardaí with assistance from the Defence Forces. The work is being coordinated by the Serious Crime Review Team and the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, working alongside local policing units.

Background

Jo Jo Dullard, aged 21, vanished from Moone, County Kildare, on 9 November 1995 after socialising in Dublin. Her case was reclassified from a missing-persons inquiry to a murder investigation in 2020.

Deirdre Jacob, aged 18, disappeared on 28 July 1998. She was last seen crossing the road toward the entrance to her home at Roseberry, Newbridge, County Kildare. Her investigation was upgraded to a murder inquiry in 2018.

Appeal And Next Steps

Investigators have renewed appeals for anyone with information to come forward. In particular, Gardaí are asking whether anyone gave a lift to a hitchhiker around the time of Jo Jo Dullard's disappearance in 1995 or noticed anything unusual in the Wicklow–Kildare border area in the late 1990s. Volunteer or eyewitness information could prove vital to the inquiries.

"An Garda Síochána has been and continues to keep the families of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob updated in relation to these investigations and they have been fully appraised of these developments," a Garda spokesperson said.

The searches form part of sustained efforts to locate remains or other evidence and to bring long-awaited answers for the families. Gardaí said operations will proceed methodically and with full forensic oversight.