31 YEARS WITHOUT ANSWERS: FAMILY OF JO JO DULLARD MARKS HEARTBREAKING ANNIVERSARY AS IRISH POLICE ISSUE FRESH APPEAL IN MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE
IRELAND — November 9, 2026
More than three decades after 21-year-old Josephine “Jo Jo” Dullard vanished while trying to make her way home, her family is still desperately waiting for answers.
On Monday, November 9, 2026, Ireland marked 31 years since the young woman disappeared without a trace. Her loved ones, friends and members of the local community gathered in Kilkenny over the weekend to remember her, while investigators renewed their appeal for anyone with information to finally come forward.
For Jo Jo’s family, the passing years have brought neither closure nor the answers they have spent a lifetime searching for.
Her disappearance remains one of Ireland’s most haunting unsolved murder investigations.
THE NIGHT A YOUNG WOMAN NEVER MADE IT HOME
Jo Jo Dullard was just 21 years old when she disappeared on November 9, 1995.
Originally from Callan, County Kilkenny, she had travelled to Dublin that day and spent the evening socialising with friends at Bruxelles Bar on Harry Street, near Grafton Street in the city centre.
After her night out, Jo Jo intended to return home to Kilkenny.
However, she missed the last bus to her hometown.
Instead, at approximately 10 p.m., she boarded a bus heading to Naas, County Kildare, planning to hitchhike the remaining distance home.
From Naas, she managed to get a lift to what is now the slip road on the M9 motorway at Kilcullen.
At approximately 11:15 p.m., she reportedly secured another lift to the village of Moone, also in County Kildare.
It was there that she made the final known contact of her life.
THE LAST PHONE CALL — AND THE MYSTERY THAT FOLLOWED
At approximately 11:37 p.m., Jo Jo called her friend Mary Cullinan from a public telephone box in Moone.
During the conversation, she explained that a car had stopped and that she was going to accept a lift.
It was the last known interaction with Jo Jo Dullard.
After that phone call, she vanished.
She never arrived home in Callan.
The following morning, November 10, her sister Kathleen reported her missing to the police.
What initially began as a missing-person investigation would eventually become a murder inquiry that has remained unresolved for more than 30 years.
HER FAMILY HAS NEVER STOPPED SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS
Jo Jo was the youngest of five siblings. Her family has endured decades of uncertainty since the night she disappeared.
Her father, John, had died before she was born, while her mother, Nora, passed away from cancer in 1983.
Her sisters Mary, Nora and Kathleen, along with her brother Thomas, were left to carry the pain of not knowing what happened to her.
On the 31st anniversary, family members and members of the community gathered at Kilkenny Castle on Sunday, November 8, to remember Jo Jo.
Her sister Kathleen Bergin has continued to appeal to anyone who might know something about her disappearance.
The family’s message remains simple but heartbreaking: they still want Jo Jo to come home.
They have also urged anyone who may have withheld information in the past to reconsider coming forward, even after all these years.
POLICE NOW HAVE NEARLY 800 LINES OF ENQUIRY
In November 2020, on the 25th anniversary of Jo Jo’s disappearance, An Garda Síochána officially reclassified the investigation as a murder inquiry.
Police said they were satisfied that serious harm had come to the 21-year-old on or around the night she disappeared.
Since then, investigators have continued reviewing evidence and pursuing new leads.
According to Gardaí, nearly 800 recommendations have been identified during the investigation. These have helped generate additional lines of enquiry for the team at Naas Garda Station, assisted by the Serious Crime Review Team.
Several search operations have also taken place over the years.
In June 2026, investigators carried out further searches on open ground in County Wicklow, close to the Wicklow–Kildare border, as part of investigations into the disappearances and murders of both Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob.
The search operation concluded in July. However, police said the results would not be released for operational reasons.
No further details about the findings have been publicly disclosed.
A FRESH APPEAL: POLICE WANT TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO SAW HER AFTER 11:37 P.M.
As the 31st anniversary arrived, Gardaí renewed their appeal for information, stressing that even the smallest detail could prove important.
Investigators are particularly interested in hearing from:
- Anyone who met, spoke to or saw Jo Jo after 11:37 p.m. on November 9, 1995.
- Anyone who remembers seeing her at Bruxelles Bar on Harry Street in Dublin.
- Anyone who was hitchhiking around Moone, County Kildare, in late October or early November 1995.
- Anyone who gave a lift to a hitchhiker in the Moone area during that period.
- Anyone who may have previously provided information but now feels able to disclose more.
Police are also seeking information about a personal item Jo Jo had with her that night.
THE CASSETTE PLAYER THAT COULD HOLD A CLUE
Jo Jo was carrying a Sanyo Stereo cassette player, model MGP21, when she disappeared.
Investigators are asking whether anyone saw the device after November 9, 1995, or received a similar cassette player from someone who could not explain where it came from.
Even after 31 years, police believe information about this item could help establish what happened during the final hours of Jo Jo’s life.
Gardaí are encouraging anyone who previously felt unable to share everything they knew to contact investigators again.
They have emphasized that people should not dismiss information simply because they believe it may be insignificant.
THE FAMILY IS STILL WAITING — 31 YEARS LATER
More than 30 years have passed since Jo Jo disappeared, but her family has never stopped hoping for answers.
The anniversary gathering was not simply a memorial. It was also another opportunity to remind the public that a young woman disappeared and that someone may still hold information that could finally explain what happened.
Gardaí have reaffirmed their determination to provide answers to the family and bring the person responsible for Jo Jo’s murder to justice.
As of November 9, 2026, no one has been brought to justice for her murder.
For those who loved Jo Jo, the unanswered questions remain.
Where did the car take her after that final phone call? Who was the person who offered her a lift? And what really happened to the 21-year-old woman who was simply trying to get home?
After 31 years, her family is still waiting for the truth.
HOW TO PROVIDE INFORMATION
Anyone with information is asked to contact:
- Naas Garda Station: 045 884 300
- Any local Garda station in Ireland.
- Garda Confidential Line: 1800 666 111
No piece of information is considered too small or insignificant.
Jo Jo Dullard was 21 when she disappeared. Her family deserves answers.
