In this episode, Radio Espial looks at the unsolved cold case of Antoinette Smith from 1987. I'm delighted to say that I was joined by Ciaran McConnell from Irish Cold Cases and the website Ireland's Vanishing Triangle to review this case. CASE SUMMARY Antoinette Smith and her friend Marie attended a David Bowie concert at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland on Saturday, July 11th, 1987. The pair returned by bus to Dublin City centre arriving at Parnell Square around 11pm that night. They decided to finish their long day out after the concern at the La Mirage Discotheque on Parnell Street a short distance away. It was there that they met two men they knew. Having remained in the two men’s company for the rest of the night, they all left the nightclub shortly after 2am. Antoinette’s friend parted company with the group, deciding to head home while Antoinette stayed on speaking to the two men until all three walked the short distance to a taxi rank on O’Connell Street. The men

Deirdre Jacob is an Irish woman who disappeared very near her parent’s home just outside Newbridge town, County Kildare on the 28th July 1998 at the age of 18. In August 2018 the Garda Síochána (Irish police) announced that her disappearance was being treated as a murder case. CASE SUMMARY Deirdre Jacob was born on October 14th, 1979 to Michael and Bernadette Jacob and she spent her childhood growing up in a bungalow just outside Newbridge, County Kildare in an area called Roseberry. During the 1980s, it was a quiet place that had yet to see the sprawling housing developments that would soon come. When she completed school, Deirdre had developed a passion for writing, playing the piano, and she quickly decided she want to teach. She left Ireland in 1997 and began studying to be a primary level teacher at St. Mary’s College in Twickenham, London to qualify. By May 1998, her first year of study was completed and she returned back to her parent’s home in Newbridge, Ireland. During her tim

  Josephine "Jo Jo" Dullard, 21, of Callan, County Kilkenny, was living in Harold's Cross, County Dublin when she went missing on 9th November 1995. She had recently finished a beauty therapy course after finding it very difficult to juggle work and college. On the day she disappeared, she was planning on moving from Dublin back home to Callan for good. She had missed her last bus to Callan and had to take another bus to Naas, County Kildare instead. She was last known to be in the Moone area of County Kildare while hitchhiking home to Kilkenny. She had been driven from the Naas area to Kilcullen, County Kildare and then on from Kilcullen to Moone. She was last seen using a payphone in Moone and through telephone records, Gardaí found out the call was made at 11:37 pm to Dullard's friend, Mary Cullinane. She ended the call as she was about to enter another car. There was also an unconfirmed sighting of her walking along the road in Castledermot, County Kildare. The d

Tina Satchwell is an Irish woman who went missing under suspicious circumstances in 2017, in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. Tina Satchwell is from St Bernard's Place in Fermoy, Cork. She lived with her husband for almost 28 years, Richard Satchwell, and their two dogs on Grattan Street in the seaside town of Youghal. The couple met when Tina was on a visit to the UK in 1989. Richard moved to Ireland within ten weeks of the pair meeting. Tina disappeared from her home on Monday 20th March 2017. She was last seen in public at a car boot sale with her husband in the town of Carrigtwohill the previous day (Sunday) 19th March. Richard was the last person to see her around 10 am on the Monday morning. He stated that Tina asked him to go to an Aldi store in Dungarvan to buy fish and dog food, and when he return to their home on Grattan Street in Youghal two hours later, she was gone. He officially reported her missing on Friday 24th March four days after he had last seen her. Tina was

Philip Cairns, a 13-year-old schoolboy, disappeared on the afternoon of the 23rd October 1986 while walking back to local secondary-level school, Coláiste Éanna in Rathfarnham, Dublin, after his lunch break. He never returned to school and has never been found after more than 36 years. A large-scale investigation was carried out but no physical trace of Philip has ever been found. His disappearance has long been treated as a high-profile child murder case, the only similar incident in Ireland being the murder of young Robert Holohan (11 years) in January 2005 and Philip’s case remains one of the most high-profile disappearances in recent Irish history. Across almost 37 years, Philip's family have issued numerous appeals for information. A reconstruction took place in 2007 and was later televised on Irish TV network, RTÉ One, while a reward of €10,000 has also been offered. The book, When Heaven Waits by Emma McMenamy, published in 2007, featured an interview with Philip's mothe

Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon were Dutch students who disappeared on 1st April 2014, while hiking the El Pianista trail in Panama. After an extensive search, portions of their bodies were found a few months later. Their cause of death could not be determined definitively, but Dutch authorities working with forensic and search-rescue investigators initially thought it likely the students had accidentally fallen from a cliff or river bridge after becoming lost. However, foul play could not be entirely ruled out, and is considered by some much more likely due to other remains being found. The circumstances and aftermath of their disappearance have resulted in much speculation about their final days.  

Jean Tighe, a native of Cavan, Ireland goes missing from a hostel she is staying at in Parede, Portugal (located just outside the city of Lisbon) on July 13th, 2020. She is spotted by a hostel worker carrying her handbag, leaving to meet up with a Brazilian male friend. Jean has spent much of life travelling abroad as a free-spirit and has visited places all over Europe, India, Australia and South Africa. She can often be away from Ireland and her family for many months at a time but always makes sure she is back in Ireland from her travels during the Christmas period. Jean is described by her family and friends as very independent, outgoing, always wanting to meet people and make new friends, but generally travelled more often alone on her trips. She was known to be very streetwise and loved her bohemian lifestyle as a non-drinker and vegan. At 38 years of age (July 2020) she had experienced her share of personal ups and downs and found the period of lockdowns in Ireland at the begi

Nicola Bulley, 45, a mortgage advisor, was last seen on Friday morning at around 9.20am while walking her dog alongside the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, UK. She had just dropped off two her daughters, aged six and nine, at the local school in the village. Ms Bulley’s phone was found, apparently still engaged on a work call, on a park bench nearby, along with the harness and lead for her dog, Willow, a springer spaniel. Journalist Mick Rooney examines the full case timeline for Radio Espial.