The search for missing women Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob has resumed again today. 

Ms Dullard disappeared in November 1995, after she missed the last bus home from Dublin to Kilkenny. She was only 21 years old at the time and was last seen hitchhiking through Kildare. 

Just over two years later in the summer of 1998, Ms Jacob vanished close to her home in Naas, Kildare. She was 18 years old and returned home after a year studying at university in England. 

Despite sustained Garda investigations over the past three decades, the two women’s bodies have never been found and no one has ever been convicted in connection to their deaths. 

However, Gardaí have now announced this week they will search an area of land close to the Wicklow/Kildare bodies where they suspect the two women’s bodies might have been buried. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, Conor Lally of the Irish Times it as a “fairly major operation” that will likely last at least a week. 

“There's been a no fly zone for drones, obviously, put in place as part of the Gardaí's preparation towards having this particular search,” he said.

“Now, there was also a search about four months ago, very close to this particular site and nothing of evidential value was found.

“The Gardaí were back then acting on information that perhaps human remains or some other form of evidence had been buried in a vehicle at an old quarry in the area. 

“But after they searched there for several weeks, as I say, there was no evidence of that found there.”

A plaque in memory of Jo Jo Dullard. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie.

The search is being carried out by the Serious Crime Review Team, the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and local Gardaí based in Kildare and Carlow.

It is not yet known whether the search has been prompted by new information, or is a follow on from a line of enquiry. 

“We did understand from the last time that a search was carried out in that area that that information would be used again,” Mr Lally said. 

“Garda headquarters did say at the time that they were going to carry out further operations based on that information. 

“At this stage, we suspect that it's the information they were acting on earlier in the year that they're also acting on now.” 

A previous search for the body of Jo Jo Dullard. Picture by: Alamy.

Gardaí said the families of Ms Dullard and Ms Jacob have been informed of the search and would be kept up to date with its progress. 

“These families have really been left without any answers,” Mr Lally said. 

“I mean, their daughters vanished back in the 90s.

“Every now and again, there are these searches that take place; Gardaí have new information that they act on, there's also lots of reports in the media.

“They have to go through the ordeal every single time - but they haven't had any breakthrough in the cases as of yet.”

Gardaí have asked for any information in relation to the two women’s disappearances to contact any Garda station.

Main image: A split of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob. Images: Supplied.