Wrong time, wrong place: the factors that made the Vanishing Triangle possible

These eight women disappeared just before CCTV, mobile phones and DNA detection became commonplace. But society’s attitudes played a part in their tragic cases too

Sat 16 Apr 2022 at 05:00 UP DATED BY WATCHERS MAY 2025.

Almost 30 years ago, a young woman set out for a walk on a March afternoon near Dublin. Having phoned several friends to see if anyone wanted to join her, she went alone to catch a bus or perhaps arranged to meet someone else. The next night, some friends turned up to her house for dinner as planned but found nobody there. Since this was 1993 and they didn’t have mobiles, they had to simply go home, confused and worried. Soon, it became clear that she had never returned from her walk.

Two years later, another young woman ducked into a phone box on a lonely road near the village of Moone in Co Kildare. It was a dark and cold November night, and she was trying to hitch her way back home after missing her bus. After calling a friend to explain her situation, she broke off for a moment, then came back saying she had a lift and needed to go. She was never seen or heard from again.

Larry Murphy is an Irish convicted criminal, known for the kidnapping, repeated rape, and attempted murder of a woman in the Wicklow Mountains in 2000. He was sentenced to 15 years in 2001 but served less than 10 due to good behavior, sparking widespread criticism. His crime involved abducting a woman, locking her in his car’s boot, and assaulting her multiple times before attempting to suffocate her. Two hunters interrupted the attack, leading to his arrest. Murphy showed no remorse, reportedly saying, “She’s alive, isn’t she?” and “She was lucky.”

Murphy is a chief suspect in the disappearance of several women in Ireland’s “Vanishing Triangle” between 1993 and 1998, particularly Deirdre Jacob, Jo Jo Dullard, and Annie McCarrick. Operation Trace, a Garda taskforce, investigated these cases for potential serial killer links. Murphy’s 2000 crime occurred in the same region, and his methodical approach—stalking, familiarity with remote areas, and extreme violence—raised suspicions. In 2018, Deirdre Jacob’s case was upgraded to a murder investigation, with Murphy as the prime suspect based on new evidence, including an alleged prison confession. A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2020, but no charges have been filed yet.

Despite being a “person of interest” in multiple cases, Murphy has not been charged with any of the disappearances due to insufficient evidence, such as missing bodies or confessions. His brother, Tom Murphy, confronted him in 2005 about the missing women but received no clear answers, leading to their estrangement. A forensic psychologist’s report described Murphy as a cunning psychopath with “psychopathic personality disorder,” resistant to rehabilitation, increasing concerns about his potential to reoffend.

After his 2010 release, Murphy left Ireland, living in Spain, Amsterdam, and the UK, often under aliases. He was monitored by police but frequently moved due to media attention. In 2017, he was reportedly spotted in Dublin, but his current whereabouts are unclear, though Gardaí claim they can locate him if needed for extradition. Social media rumors about his location have caused panic and mistaken identities, complicating investigations.

While Murphy’s conviction and behavior make him a compelling suspect, some investigators, like retired detective Alan Bailey, caution against tunnel vision, noting that naming him as a suspect risks overlooking other possibilities. No definitive evidence ties him to the missing women’s cases, and some disappearances have other suspects or motives.