The site where Josephine "Jo Jo" Dullard was last seen

This location in Moone, County Kildare, marks the spot where missing woman Josephine "Jo Jo" Dullard was last seen.

Investigators believe Dullard's killer picked her up on this street while she was hitchhiking home.

In November 1995, the 21-year-old dropped out of a beauty therapy course in Dublin and moved to her sister's house in Callan, County Kilkenny.

Return to Dublin

On Thursday, November 9, 1995, Dullard returned to Dublin to collect a social welfare payment from a post office in Harold's Cross.

After collecting her money, she spent the afternoon at Bruxelles, a bar near Grafton Street.

Dullard chose Bruxelles because she was familiar with it from her time living in Dublin and knew a friend working behind the bar that day.

She likely visited the pub to pass the time, as her bus back to Callan was not due to depart until 6 p.m.

Later that afternoon, Dullard's ex-boyfriend arrived at the pub. For the next couple of hours, the pair drank together and reportedly grew close. After a few drinks, Dullard decided she wanted to spend the night in Dublin.

However, these plans fell apart when her ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend entered the bar and saw them sitting together. An argument ensued, and her ex-boyfriend left Bruxelles.

By that point, Dullard's 6 p.m. bus had departed. Determined to leave Dublin, she decided to take the next bus to Naas, Kildare, and hitchhike the rest of the way.

Although Naas was still a significant distance from Callan, she reasoned she would at least be on her way.

Moone

Dullard left Busáras, the central bus station in Dublin, and arrived in Naas at roughly 10 p.m.

Upon arrival, she began hitchhiking.

Soon after, an elderly man pulled over and offered to drive her to Kilcullen. During their journey, he advised her to rent a B&B in Kilcullen, warning that hitchhiking was too dangerous for a young woman at night.

Dullard, however, was determined to get home.

In Kilcullen, she resumed hitchhiking. Before long, she was picked up by a man who agreed to drive her to Moone, a village 20 kilometers (12 miles) south.

She arrived in Moone at around 11:30 p.m. At that time, she was still more than 70 kilometers (43 miles) away from her hometown.

Disappearance

At 11:37 p.m., Dullard called her friend, Mary Cullinane, from a phone box outside the Holy Trinity Church.

During their conversation, she told Cullinane that she had missed her bus and was trying to hitchhike home. The pair also discussed recent life events.

While they chatted, Dullard held the phone box door open so she could continue looking for a lift.

Several passing motorists would later recall seeing her that night, with many expressing regret at their decision to keep driving.

The area was a busy thoroughfare in 1995, as the main road between Dublin and Waterford ran through the village. The town was not bypassed until December 2000.

Moments into the phone call, Dullard suddenly stopped speaking and asked her friend to wait.

A car had finally pulled over.

After roughly 30 seconds of silence, she returned to the receiver and told her friend that someone had offered her a lift.

Then, without providing further details, she hung up.

Investigators suspect this motorist was Dullard's killer.

Following the call, she was never heard from again.

Investigation

The Gardaí (Irish police) did not begin investigating her disappearance until three days after she was reported missing.

Despite a major search and thousands of interviews, investigators failed to find any trace of Dullard.

One eyewitness reported seeing a woman matching Dullard's description entering the back seat of a dark red Toyota Carina.

This sighting did little to aid the investigation, as the Carina was a popular vehicle during the 1990s.

Although the media often mentioned convicted rapist Larry Murphy as a person of interest in Dullard's disappearance, investigators do not believe he was involved.

Murder

In October 2020, nearly 25 years after she went missing, the Gardaí officially reclassified Dullard's case as a murder investigation.

On November 11, 2024, a 55-year-old man was arrested in connection with her disappearance. The Gardaí also launched a search operation at two private residences and a plot of land near Stratford-on-Slaney in Grangecon, Wicklow, just 12 km (7.5 miles) east of Moone.

The suspect, a member of a prominent family in the Wicklow-Kildare region, has been a person of interest since the investigation began. He was one of the last people to report seeing Dullard alive.

On November 12, 2024, he was released without charge.