Man arrested in Jo Jo Dullard probe has been "person of interest" for years

The man, aged in his 50s, was detained by gardaí [Irish police] on Monday after officers made a breakthrough in the cold case. He continues to be detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Kildare Garda station and can be held for up to 24 hours. He comes from a well-known family and has been a person of interest in the case for years.

The family of Ms Dullard, who have been waiting nearly 30 years for answers, are being kept up to date with developments.

Supt Paul Burke of the Kildare Garda Division said on Monday: "An Garda Síochána has been and continues to keep the family of Jo Jo Dullard fully updated… They have been fully appraised of all of today’s developments."

Security sources told the Irish Daily Mail on Monday night: "Gardaí officially made this a murder investigation four years ago. As a result, there was an extra impetus to zero in on the main suspects. In all cases like this, gardaí had to work for a breakthrough and get something strong enough which would warrant an arrest.

"It is safe to say that new information has come to light in the investigation, which could include someone coming forward and telling gardaí a piece of information that joins the dots. The man comes from a highly respected family."

Officers began searching open ground near the Wicklow/Kildare border on Monday. The site is 14 kilometers from where Ms Dullard, then aged 21, was last seen in the village of Moone, Co. Kildare, on November 9, 1995.

A gravestone erected for Jo Jo Dullard at the site where she was last seen.

Over the coming days, the site will be searched and excavated by technical and forensic teams, including a forensic archaeologist if required. The search is being carried out by the Kildare Divisional Search Team with support from the Garda National Technical Bureau and local Divisional Scenes of Crime Unit.

A temporary flight restriction has also been put in place until November 18 in the vicinity of Ballyhook, Grangecon, Co. Wicklow by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). The IAA warned that Unmanned Aircraft Systems, such as drones in this area may be subject to seizure by An Garda Síochána as evidence for potential prosecution and in the interest of aviation safety. Gardaí have also searched two private homes in connection with Ms Dullard’s disappearance.

Although her body has never been found, gardaí upgraded her disappearance to murder in 2020, saying they believe she met her death through violent means. The latest operation followed interviews and a re-examination of evidence.

In 2021, gardaí investigating the 1998 murder of Deirdre Jacob carried out a three-week search for her and Ms Dullard in woodland near Usk Little on the Kildare/Wicklow border. Although it’s believed their deaths aren’t directly linked, both women were last seen in the nearby villages of Moone and Newbridge. They are two of at least eight women who vanished in the east of the country in the 1990s.

Ms Dullard’s sister Kathleen Bergin told the Irish Daily Mail on Monday she wasn’t able to comment on the new development. During the last search, she said her family didn’t want to get too optimistic as their hopes have been dashed many times.

On the 29th anniversary of her sister’s disappearance last week, Ms Bergin said: "She’s out there, somewhere, and we need to bring her home. After all these years, I think she deserves to be brought home and laid to rest beside mam and dad."

On November 9, 1995, Ms. Dullard from Callan, in Co. Kilkenny, met friends in Bruxelles pub in Dublin city center. She missed the last bus home to Kilkenny, so got a bus to Naas and hitched two lifts to Moone in Co. Kildare. During a chat with a friend from a phonebox in Moone, she said a car had pulled up next to her. She was never seen again.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.