A woman who disappeared almost 30 years ago was “full of life”, her sister has said.
Josephine “Jo Jo” Dullard went missing on November 9th, 1995 after spending an evening socialising on Dublin’s Harry Street.
Saturday marks the 29th anniversary of when she was last seen and gardaí have launched an appeal into her disappearance and murder.
Joining the appeal for information, Ms Dullard’s sister Kathleen Bergin said: “That day she went to Dublin, our lives changed forever.
“She’s out there somewhere and we need to bring her home.”
She added: “Jo Jo was a lovely, wonderful, kind, caring person who always thought of others.”
Ms Dullard had been socialising in Bruxelles bar and later missed her last bus home to Kilkenny.
She instead boarded a 10pm bus to Naas, Co Kildare.
Ms Dullard had intended to hitchhike the rest of the way home to Callan, Co Kilkenny.
She hitched a lift from Naas to the slip road on the M9 motorway at Kilcullen, Co Kildare, and at 11.15pm got another lift to Moone in the county.
There, Ms Dullard called her friend Mary Cullinan at 11.37pm from a phone box.
During that call, Ms Dullard told Ms Cullinan that a car had stopped for her and she was going to take the lift.
This was the last known interaction with Ms Dullard.
Ms Bergin said: “We often wonder what went through her mind when she realised ‘I’m not going to get back home again’.
“We can only imagine the fear she was going through.”
The following morning, Friday November 10th, 1995, Ms Bergin reported Ms Dullard missing.
She was 21 when she disappeared.
Ms Dullard’s father, John, died before she was born and her mother Nora died from cancer in 1983.
She was the youngest of five siblings, her sisters Mary, Nora and Kathleen and brother Thomas.
The disappearance of Ms Dullard has been the subject of a sustained Garda investigation, by the investigation team based at Naas Garda Station.
The investigation is subject to ongoing review by the Serious Crime Review Team, National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
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.
No person has been brought to justice for her murder.
Ms Bergin said: “After all these years, she deserves to be brought home and laid to rest beside mam and dad.
“Someone has information out there.
“We’d ask them to look into their hearts to please find the strength and the courage to come forward.
“It could be the piece of the jigsaw we’re looking for.”
Gardaí are appealing to anyone that has any information in relation to the murder to come forward.
In particular, they are asking anyone who may have met Ms Dullard in Bruxelles bar or later saw any hitchhikers on the route home to get in touch.
They are also seeking to trace the whereabouts of her Sanyo stereo cassette player (model MGP21), as she had it with her on the night in question.
Gardaí said: “Did anyone see this cassette player after November 9 1995; did anyone receive such a cassette player from a friend or person that could not tell you from where they received it?”
An Garda Síochána is appealing to any person who was hitchhiking in the immediate area around Moone, Co Kildare, at the end of October 1995 or the start of November 1995 to come forward and speak to the investigation team.
