Gardai searching for evidence Larry Murphy buried a woman are digging on land just six minutes from where he was caught trying to murder a victim, it has emerged.
The Irish Mirror has established that the dig operation in rural Co Wicklow that has been ongoing all week is just under 5km from the scene of his shocking rape and attempted murder of a woman in the year 2000.
The search, which enters its third day on Wednesday, is centred on land at Castleruddery Upper – amid suspicion that he killed missing student teacher Deirdre Jacob, before dumping her remains in a car and secretly burying it on the land.
Our analysis shows the new search site is just six minutes’ drive from Spinan’s Cross, where the monster subjected a woman to a nightmare ordeal in February 2000 – and where he was just seconds away from killing her.
He had kidnapped his victim in Carlow town, before driving her to Kilkea in rural Kildare and repeatedly raping her. He then bundled her back into his Fiat Punto car and drove her to Spinan’s Cross, a remote area of Wicklow between Blessington and his home town of Baltinglass, where he raped her again.
He then put a plastic bag over her head and was suffocating her to death – only for her life to be saved at the last moment by two passing hunters.
Larry Murphy, who served 10 years for the February 2000 rape and attempted murder.(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
The decision to search the Castleruddery Upper land came after gardai were told that Murphy, 61, may have buried a car with the remains of a woman in it there.
Murphy, who is now living in England, is believed to have been familiar with the land – a fact that was significant in the Garda decision to begin searching the site on Monday.
Nothing was found at the search site as of Tuesday evening – but specialist gardai are set to return on Wednesday.
Missing Deirdre Jacob and Jo Jo Dullard. Gardai have informed both their families about the Wicklow search.
Officers suspect that Murphy buried a vehicle deep underground at the site – and that is the reason why officers are using a heavy digger as part of the search.
They have already removed hundreds of tonnes of sand and earth from the search area – and are set to do even more digging on Wednesday morning.
Sources tell us the search operation is likely to go on for several more days – but there is no deadline for it.
“It will go on as it needs to,” one source said.
Gardai continue searching for a second day on Tuesday for the remains of JoJo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob in an area of land on a quarry on Castleruddery Upper in Co. Wicklow. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins, Dublin.
There was a large Garda presence on Tuesday at the sealed-off stretch of land, just off the N81 that connects Wicklow to south Dublin.
We revealed previously that Murphy. who served 10 years for the brutal rape and attempted murder of the woman he kidnapped in Carlow in 2000, is the prime focus of the investigation.
Gardai have been given credible information that Murphy – the prime suspect for the 1998 abduction and murder of 18-year-old Deirdre Jacob from outside her home in Newbridge, Co Kildare that is just over 30km from the new dig site – may have buried at least one vehicle on the land.
Gardai from the Cold Case Unit, or Serious Crime Review Team, decided to excavate the area after being told about suspicions about vehicles being buried there.
One theory is that Murphy may have put the remains of student teacher Ms Jacob in the car and then secretly buried it at the site. But officers are looking for any scrap of evidence that could connect Murphy to Ms Jacob, whose missing person’s case was upgraded to murder in 2018 – 20 years after she vanished.
Gardai continue a search for a second day
Gardai are also examining the site for any possible connection to missing Kilkenny woman Jo Jo Dullard, who was 21 when she was abducted from Moone in Co Kildare, about 17km from this new dig site.
Although officers have a different suspect for that case, which is also being treated as murder, detectives did notify Jo Jo’s family of this search.
But it is understood gardai do not believe the disappearance of the two women is linked.
Gardai have again appealed for anyone with information about the two missing women to come forward.
The force said at the start of Monday’s search: “The search operation is being led by the Serious Crime Review Team, Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation supported by the Garda National Technical Bureau and local resources from Kildare Division as required.
Gardai at the scene of a search in Co Wicklow
“The search operation has the support of other state expertise, if required.
“An Garda Síochána has been and continues to keep the families of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob updated in relation to these investigations and they have been fully appraised of today’s developments.
The scene at an area of open ground in Co Wicklow, near the border with Co Kildare(Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire)
“An Garda Síochána appeals to anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you might believe it to be to contact any Garda station, or anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially should contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.”
We contacted Deirdre Jacob’s father Michael, but he told us he did not wish to comment at this time.
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