Kilkenny: Family Honors 31 Years Since Disappearance
Relatives gathered at Kilkenny Castle to remember Jo Jo Dullard, whose case was reclassified as a homicide in 2020.
By Samir Doyle ·
Friends and neighbors gathered at Kilkenny Castle on Sunday afternoon to observe the 31st anniversary of the disappearance of Jo Jo Dullard. The memorial service took place in County Kilkenny, offering local residents a place to pay tribute to the woman who vanished in 1995.
Dullard, who was 21 years old at the time, was last seen using a public phone box in Moone, County Kildare, on November 9, 1995. She had missed her connecting bus to Kilkenny and instead boarded a coach to Naas. Her plan was to hitch a ride from there to her home in Callan.
The case received a major update in 2020 when authorities upgraded the status from missing person to murder. Despite this shift, investigators have not yet determined the full circumstances of her death.
Gardaí conducted several excavation sites earlier this year as part of the ongoing probe. In June, members of the Garda Serious Crime Review Team dug in a quarry located on the border between Wicklow and Kildare. That search aimed to locate both Dullard and Deirdre Jacob.
The quarry site was chosen based on allegations involving convicted rapist Larry Murphy. He reportedly claimed he may have buried one of the women in a car.
Dullard’s family, including her sister Kathleen Bergin, spoke publicly about their grief. They stated that they think of her every day. The group noted that they keep the candle of hope lit, maintaining the belief that their loved one will eventually find her way home.
