Deirdre’s parents: Murphy ‘just one line of inquiry’

THE parents of Deirdre Jacob have stressed that convicted sex offender Larry Murphy is just “one line of inquiry” in the Garda’s investigation into what happened to the 18-year-old student.

Michael and Bernie Jacob have pleaded with the public to keep “an open mind” so as not to shut down other possible avenues of investigation. In an interview with the Sunday Independent, the couple said Murphy was in Deirdre’s grandmother’s shop but that had been “at least 10 years” before the day Deirdre went missing.

Their daughter vanished on the afternoon of July 28, 1998, just yards from her family home outside Newbridge, in Co Kildare.

Gardai announced last week that they have escalated the case from a missing persons inquiry to a murder investigation after new evidence came to light.

It is understood that a new witness came forward to gardai five weeks ago, when a Serious Crime Review of the case was already under way.

Gardai are now trying to corroborate the new information, while revisiting old leads.

These include an allegation made by a prisoner that Larry Murphy confessed to abducting a woman outside Newbridge Co Kildare.

Asked about this, Michael Jacob, Deirdre’s devastated father said: “That is a work in progress. And that is why I said earlier that there are a number of lines of enquiry of great interest [which are] being pursued vigorously.”

DEIRDRE Jacob’s parents have stressed that convicted sex offender Larry Murphy is just “one line of inquiry” gardai are pursuing in the disappearance of their daughter.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent this weekend, they said they want the public to keep “an open mind” as concentrating on one person might prevent others coming forward with strong information that leads in another direction.

They said they “don’t generally make a practice” of reading reports about their daughter’s disappearance, including those which detail Murphy’s previous crimes. Asked if Murphy was in Deirdre’s grandmother’s shop, Mr Jacob said: “This guy, there’s one person of interest, and his work brought him all around the region and a lot of the reporting has confused different times about when he was in a particular place,” he said.

“He never did any work in Mrs O’ Grady’s shop and that’s without doubt.” But he added: “Gardai have lines of inquiry about his movements nearby.”

On whether Murphy went into Deirdre’s grandmother’s shop to sell toys, Mr Jacob said: “Early on in his woodwork or carpentry career he made wooden toys and he went to shops trying to sell them — that was at least 10 years earlier. And that’s the confusion that’s there.”

On questions surrounding Murphy’s rumoured confession to his cellmate Mr Jacob said: “That is a work in progress. And that why I said earlier that there are a number of lines of inquiry of great interest [which are] being pursued vigorously.”

On whether they accept the recent decision to change their daughter’s case to a murder investigation, Mrs Jacob said: “That’s what gardai decided and I suppose that is what we have to accept now.

“You don’t want to hear something like that about your child. It’s very upsetting and very sad. I find it very difficult.

“But this is where we are and this is what we have to deal with and we have to be glad they are working so hard on it.”

Anyone with information can phone Newbridge gardai on 045-431212 or leave a message on the Confidential Phone Line 1-800-666111.