Missing women cases must be resolved for sake of their families
THE number of unsolved missing women cases in this country is truly shocking and little or nothing is done about it.
American Annie Mccarrick disappeared in suspicious circumstances in the Dublin mountains 31 years ago last week. Imagine the pain and despair her family are feeling after all this time.
She was reportedly last seen alive by a doorman at Johnnie Fox’s Pub in Glencullen, having a drink and talking to a young man.
No one knows who he is. They were not seen leaving the bar and Annie, 27, has never been seen since.
She just vanished off the face of the earth, classified as missing but presumed murdered.
Others are Jojo Dullard, 18, Fiona Pender, 25, Fiona Sinnott, 19, Ciara Breen, 17 and Deirdre Jacob, 18.
Other women were killed and their bodies found, such as Galway woman Emer O’loughlin, and while the main suspect is known to the police, they have never been charged.
In several of the cases the men with blood on their hands have fled Ireland and are enjoying new lives in other countries. Some of the cases read like an episode of how to get away with murder.
There has been talk of a serial killer and the finger of suspicion pointed at convicted kidnapper and rapist Larry Murphy from Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, but no charges have ever been preferred against him. The man seen with Annie was supposed to look like Murphy.
Murphy himself was also said to have confessed to abducting and killing Deirdre Jacobs to another prisoner in Arbour Hill prison while he was in custody.
Deirdre disappeared not far from her home outside Newbridge, Co Kildare, on July
28, 1998. She had gone into town to get a bank draft to pay for her student accommodation in London and was never seen again.
Murphy had served 10 years of a 15-year sentence for the kidnapping, rape and attempted murder of a business woman in the Wicklow mountains in 2001.
Detectives believed he would have killed his victim but that he was disturbed by men out hunting and the woman was freed. They recognised Murphy and identified him to police.
There is suspicion that a number of bodies could be buried in the same area.
A full-scale dig needs to
Annie just vanished off the face of the earth, believed murdered
take place. Murphy denied the allegations against him and fled Ireland soon after his release from jail. He has been living in Spain and London since.
He has also changed his name to Charley Doyle.
Gardai suspect that Jojo Dullard was kidnapped and killed by the same person who took Annie and Deirdre.
The cases of Fiona Pender – who was seven months pregnant and lived in Tullamore – and Fiona Synnott are not believed to be connected in any way.
Gardai believe they were killed by someone they knew.
One of the suspects has built a nice life for himself out in Canada and he has no intentions of coming home.
The man suspected of killing Dundalk teenager Ciara Breen, 17, is now dead. Her body has never been found and is believed to be buried in a local bog.
A dig was carried out on a two-acre corner of the bog and a dress found that might have been Ciara’s.
Her family would like to see the rest of the bog fully dug up to see if they can find her. But apparently the State doesn’t have the money.
The incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris says he is going to make law and order one of his top priorities amid speculation that the current Minister for Justice Helen Mcentee will be moved sideways.
He must put someone dynamic into the job who is prepared to provide the money and the resources to the Garda so that they can solve these crimes.
We need a new national taskforce to handle high-profile cases and to locate the remains of these missing women once and for all.
No expense should be spared to get the job done.