First search pics in Jo Jo Dullard & Deirdre Jacob murder probe twist as gardai excavate Wicklow site for both women

A SEARCH is under way in Co Wicklow as part of the investigation into the disappearance and murders of Josephine ‘Jo Jo’ Dullard and Deirdre Jacob.

Gardai said investigators are continuing to “keep an open mind” in relation to the cases of the missing women and confirmed a search operation on open ground near the Wicklow and Kildare border has commenced today.

The area of land being examined by cops will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations over the coming days.

Jo Jo and Deirdre were among several women who disappeared in the 1990s in Ireland.

The Dullard and Jacob families have been informed of the search and will be updated in relation to the investigation.

Kilkenny native Jo Jo was last seen making a call from a phone box in Moone, Co Kildare on November 9, 1995 on her journey home from Dublin.

The then 21-year-old had missed the last bus home to Kilkenny and boarded a bus to Naas, where she intended to hitch a lift to her home in Callan.

Her disappearance was upgraded to a murder inquiry in 2020.

Deirdre, who was from Kildare, was last seen just yards away from her home in Newbridge – just a ten-minute drive from where Deirdre was last seen – on July 28, 1998.

She was crossing the road towards the entrance to her home carrying a distinctive black satchel-type bag with long shoulder-straps with CAT in large yellow letters printed on the front of the bag when she vanished.

The bag has never been found and gardai upgraded her disappearance to a murder probe in 2018.

The cases of the missing women were initially linked but different suspects have emerged over the years.

The search operation launched by gardai today is being led by the Serious Crime Review Team and Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigations.

It is being supported by the Garda National Technical Bureau and local resources from Kildare Division as required.

A temporary ban on drones has been put in place in the area of the search for the next three weeks.

“The case is like a jigsaw and we just need to find those missing pieces.”Deirdre Jacob’s dad, Michael

Gardai said the search op has the support of other state expertise if required.

In a statement issued this morning, a spokesperson for the force said gardai are continuing to “keep an open mind” in relation to the probe and follow up any information brought to the investigation team.

A garda spokesperson added: “An Garda Siochana has been and continues to keep the families of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob updated in relation to these investigations and they have been fully appraised of today’s developments.

“An Garda Siochana appeals to anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you might believe it to be to contact any Garda station, or anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially should contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.”

Both the Dullard and Jacob families have issued heartbreaking pleas for help in locating the missing women since their disappearances in 1995 and 1998.

‘SOMEBODY HAS INFORMATION’

Jo Jo’s sister Kathleen Bergin – who reported her younger sister missing after she failed to return home for her night out in 1995 – last year spoke about how her sibling is “out there somewhere”.

In a video released by Gardai in November 2025, she said: “Somebody has information out there.

“Did they hear somebody talking? Did they see something that night?

“And we would ask them to look into their hearts, to please find the strength and courage to come forward, tell us what they know – even if they think it’s something very small, it could be the piece of the jigsaw we’re looking for.”

Kathleen said her sister “deserves to be brought home and laid to rest beside Mam and Dad”.

‘TELL US WHERE DEIRDRE IS’

In October 2025, Deirdre’s dad Michael vowed to continue searching for his daughter as he made a new appeal for information on RTE’s Crimecall.

He said: “We are desperately appealing to anyone who has information about Deirdre.

“We are also confident that there are people still out there who have information about what happened to her and where she might be.

“If people come forward with information we know it will be treated in a confidential and sensitive manner.

“We are also appealing to people who might have left Ireland but still have information to contact the Gardai.

“The case is like a jigsaw and we just need to find those missing pieces.”

“There are so many different ways people can contact the Gardai now and we’re just asking for someone to tell us where Deirdre is.”