A male aged in his 50s arrested as part of the investigation into the 1995 murder of Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullard was released without charge on Tuesday, November 12, An Garda Síochána has confirmed.
While the man has been released without charge, a search operation on open ground at a location in Co Wicklow near the Wicklow/Kildare border is continuing.
An Garda Síochána said the investigation is ongoing and that further updates will follow.
Meanwhile, security sources told the Irish Daily Mail on Monday night that the man who was arrested "comes from a highly respected family."
An Garda Síochána announced on Monday that they had arrested a male, aged in his 50s, on suspicion of the murder of Jo Jo Dullard. He was detained at a Garda station in Co Kildare.
Investigating Gardaí also said on Monday that they were commencing a search operation on open ground at a location in Co Wicklow near the Wicklow/Kildare border, adding that the area of land would be searched and subject to excavation, technical, and forensic examinations in the coming days.
Gardaí also searched two private residences on Monday morning.
Superintendent Paul Burke, Kildare Garda Station has given an update about our investigation into the disappearance and murder of Jo Jo Dullard.
Jo Jo disappeared and was murdered on or about November 9th, 1995. pic.twitter.com/7fyCgvwKju
— Garda Info (@gardainfo) November 11, 2024
An Garda Síochána said on Monday that they have been and will continue to keep the family of Jo Jo fully updated in relation to this investigation and that they have been fully appraised of all of today's developments.
Jo Jo, who was 21 years old when she disappeared in November 1995, was the youngest of five siblings - her sisters Mary, Nora, and Kathleen, and brother Thomas. Her father John died before she was born and her mother Nora died from cancer in 1983.
Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullard. (An Garda Síochána)
The disappearance of Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullard
The news of the arrest on Monday came just two days after An Garda Síochána issued a renewed appeal on the 29th anniversary of Jo Jo's disappearance.
Gardaí said that on November 9, 1995, Jo Jo travelled to Dublin where she spent the evening socialising in Bruxelles Bar on Harry Street in Dublin 2.
Jo Jo missed her last bus home to Kilkenny that evening and instead boarded a bus to Naas, Co Kildare at 10 pm. She then intended to hitchhike the rest of the way home to Callan, in Co Kilkenny.
Jo Jo hitched a lift from Naas to the slip road on the M9 motorway at Kilcullen, Co Kildare. At approximately 11:15 pm, Jo Jo hitched another lift to Moone, Co Kildare.
In Moone, Jo Jo made a telephone call to her friend Mary Cullinan at 11:37 pm. During that call, Jo Jo told Mary that a car had stopped for her and she was going to take the lift.
Gardaí say this was the last known interaction with Jo Jo Dullard.
The following morning, Friday, November 10, 1995, Jo Jo's sister Kathleen reported her missing and a missing persons investigation commenced.
In their renewed appeal issued on Friday, Gardaí appealed to anyone who has not spoken to Gardaí, to please come forward if they met, saw, or have any information in relation to the murder of Josephine after 11:37 pm on the night of November 9, 1995.
Jo Jo had her Sanyo Stereo cassette Player (model MGP21) with her on November 9, 1995. 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 additionally 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, please come forward and speak to our investigation team.
Or, did you give a lift to a hitchhiker around the same time in the Moone area? If you did, the investigation team would like to talk to you.
The disappearance of Jo Jo 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.
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 as An Garda Síochána was satisfied that serious harm came to Jo Jo on or about the night of November 9, 1995.
No person has been brought to justice for the murder of Jo Jo Dullard at this time.
The investigation into the murder of Jo Jo Dullard has continued since the reclassification to murder in 2020.
The investigation has progressed and nearly 800 recommendations have been identified.
These recommendations have informed and generated new lines of enquiry which have been actioned by the Investigation Team based at Naas Garda Station, under the direction of the Senior Investigating Officer, assisted by An Garda Síochána Serious Crime Review Team.
Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullard. (An Garda Síochána)
Gardaí continue to appeal to any person who may have previously come forward who felt they could not provide Gardaí with all the information they had in relation to this matter, to contact the investigation team again.
An Garda Síochána says it is resolute in its determination to provide answers for Jo Jo's family and bring her murderer to justice.
An Garda Síochána appeals to anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you might believe it to be, to contact Naas Garda Station on 045 884 300 or any Garda station, or anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially should contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
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