GARDAÍ HAVE LAUNCHED a new dig at a site in Wicklow as part of their investigation into the murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob.
The operation involves Irish Defence Forces personnel, and is focused on an area of ground near the Wicklow and Kildare border. Gardaí said they will be at the scene for a number of days as they carry out an examination and excavation.
Deirdre Jacob was last seen on 28 July 1998 near her home in Newbridge, Co Kildare. She is one of at least six women who vanished in the east of the country in the 1990s.
Jo Jo Dullard (21) disappeared in 1995 from Moone in Kildare was also upgraded to murder earlier this year. Her disappearance was just a 10-minute journey from where Deirdre Jacob was last seen.
The new dig is the latest search in the ongoing probe into the disappearance of the two women, with another dig having taken place in February.
Gardaí upgraded the disappearances to murder investigations in 2018 and as a result of renewed focus on the case new witnesses have come forward.
As part of the cold case review the file and previous statements have also been re-examined by detectives.
Investigators from the Serious Crime Review Team in the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation have been working through witness statements, any evidence gathered to date and details about reported sightings.
It is understood they have also been reviewing the files associated with the disappearances as well as known locations where their chief suspect was believed to have access to and then compiling a list of dig sites.
Gardaí travelled to London a number of years ago to interview a chief suspect, but this failed to generate any sufficient leads.
During this re-examination they re-interviewed witnesses who were also part of the original file.
During this process, “credible information” was unearthed that led to Usk Little on the Wicklow and Kildare border. However, gardaí have not been able to find anything yet.
“An Garda Síochána 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 these developments.
“An Garda Síochána appeals to anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you might believe it to be, to contact Kildare Garda station on 045 527 730or any Garda station, or anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially should contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111,” a spokesperson said.
Gardaí have also obtained a drone no-fly zone over the site.
Maps from the Irish Aviation Authority show that the no-fly zone is near Stratford, Co Wicklow and extends over a huge area including Baltinglass which is where the chief suspect was living. The exclusion area lasts until next month.