Man arrested in connection with Jo Jo Dullard murder released without charge

A male aged in his 50s who was arrested as part of the investigation into the disappearance and murder of Jo Jo Dullard has been released without charge.

A search operation on open ground at a location in Co Wicklow near the Wicklow/Kildare border is still ongoing.

21-year-old Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullard went missing on November 9, 1995.

On the 29th anniversary of her disappearance, last Saturday, gardaí made a fresh appeal for information.

Two days after the appeal, they confirmed that a man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of the murder.

The suspect was then detained overnight under the provisions of Section 4, Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in Co Kildare.

READ MORE: Gardaí seeks assistance in locating missing teenager

Josephine Dollard, a Kilkenny native, left her home in Callan at 8:30am to travel to Dublin via bus. Jo Jo met friends at a pub just off Grafton Street, however, later on in the evening she missed the last bus home and instead, boarded a 10pm bus to Naas, Co Kildare. 

Upon arrival, she hitchhiked a lift from Naas to the Slip Road, on the M9 motorway at Kilcullen, Co Kildare.

At approximately 11.15pm, Jo Jo then hitched another lift to Moone, Co Kildare.

When she made it to the village, Jo Jo telephoned in her friend Mary Cullinan at 11.37pm in a phone booth, telling Mary that another car had stopped and she would be getting in. 

This was the last known interaction with Jo Jo.

The following morning, Jo Jo’s sister, Kathleen, reported her missing and gardaí launched an investigation. Four years ago, on the 25th anniversary of the young woman's disappearance, Gardaí declared that the investigation was no longer missing persons but was now classified as murder. 

The investigation is ongoing and further updates will follow.