A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Dublin three decades ago – as police continue to search for her body.
Josephine Dullard, known as Jo Jo, went missing on November 9, 1995, after spending an evening socialising on Harry Street in the Irish capital.
The then 21-year-old had been socialising in Bruxelles bar and was travelling back to her home in Callan when she vanished.
In a major update in the case, Gardai confirmed an arrest had been made and that searches for her body are taking place in Wicklow, near the Kildare border.
Superintendent Paul Burke said: ‘This area of land will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations over the coming days.
Josephine Dullard, known as Jo Jo, went missing on November 9, 1995, after spending an evening socialising on Harry Street in the Irish capital
In a major update in the case, Gardai confirmed an arrest had been made and that searches for her body are taking place in Wicklow, near the Kildare border.
‘The arrest and search operation is being led by the investigation team from Kildare Division Serious Crime Unit and the Serious Crime Review Team, Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
‘The search is being carried out by the Kildare Divisional Search Team supported by the Garda National Technical Bureau and 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.’
On the night of her disappearance, Ms Dullard had missed her bus home to Kilkenny and instead bordered a 10pm bus to Naas, where she then intended to hitchhike home.
She hitched a lift from Naas to the slip road on the M9 motorway at Kilcullen and at 11.15pm got another lift to Moone in the county.
Detectives discovered that she had made a phone call from a payphone in Moone.
During that call, Ms Dullard told her friend Mary Cullinan that a car had stopped for her and she was going to take the lift.
On the night of her disappearance, Ms Dullard had missed her bus home to Kilkenny and instead bordered a 10pm bus to Naas, where she then intended to hitchhike home
Witnesses said she was later seen leaning on the back of a dark coloured Toyota, talking to someone inside.
But the car and driver were never traced.
Her disappearance was confirmed to be classified as murder in November 2020, with investigators believing that serious harm came to her around the time of her disappearance.
