Gardaí close to completing Deirdre Jacob murder probe
Detectives believe that two people hold the key to gardaí finalising their file to the DPP on the abduction and murder of Deirdre Jacob more than 20 years ago.
The investigation is at an “advanced stage” with the main suspect identified as convicted rapist Larry Murphy, who is living in England.
On the 21st anniversary of the student’s disappearance from outside her Kildare home, two crucial lines of inquiry remain:
- Securing the co-operation of a close associate of Murphy who has previously claimed to have incriminating information on him;
- Contacting an anonymous caller to Newbridge Garda Station who said they saw something potentially suspicious near where Ms Jacob was abducted, the day after she went missing.
The 18-year-old had vanished from the gates of her home at Roseberry, Newbridge, at around 3pm on Tuesday, July 28, 1998.
Following a massive review of her case, gardaí, in August 2018, upgraded what was a missing person’s probe to a murder investigation.
Gardaí have made significant progress and are now close to sending a file to the DPP, needing to complete just a couple of inquiries.
They are eager to trace an anonymous caller who rang the station after last year’s appeal and said they saw something potentially suspicious near where Ms Jacob disappeared, the day after she vanished.
Secondly, they are examining how they can secure the co-operation of a man who is a close associate of Larry Murphy.
This man, who lives in Kildare, previously claimed to have significant incriminating information on Murphy. These claims emerged following a personal dispute.
Murphy moved to England after his release from jail in 2010, where he had served 10 years for the kidnapping, rape and attempted murder of a woman in the Wicklow mountains in 2001.
Gardaí travelled to Britain last year and, in the company of the London Met police, doorstepped Murphy, but he refused to answer any questions. There was no basis to arrest Murphy, who is originally from Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.
The Garda appeal again detailed the type of distinctive black satchel bag, with the word CAT in large yellow capital letters, which Ms Jacob carried on the day.
Speaking on Newstalk, Deirdre’s father Michael urged people to assist gardaí, saying the investigation was in the “final stages”.
Newbridge Garda Station at 045-431212; Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.
