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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Famous_Ad1077 on 2024-01-04 18:46:20+00:00.
When writing a report on ‘Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle’ the first point of discussion should be the name. Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle is merely a term coined by the Irish media in the 1990s. The term has no relation to geographical profiling nor does it have any relevance to the actual cases.
There was a recent article printed in the Irish Times titled “The Myth of Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle”; yes in literal terms it is a myth. But- fortunately or unfortunately- the title will draw people’s attention, and thus bring attention to the unsolved cases. The serial killer case known as the Golden State Killer is an excellent example of this; the case had gone unsolved from the 1970s until as recently as 2018. During the 70s and 80s, the killer was given many different titles by the media, such as The East Area Rapist, The Original Nightstalker, The Diamond Knot Killer and perhaps most bizarrely the acronym EARONS. None of them managed to garner the attention of the wider public and media. Eventually in 2015, crime journalist Michelle McNamara gave the killer the title of the Golden State Killer, and the case became mainstream, and numerous documentaries, podcasts and TV shows were made.
Thankfully, the case was eventually solved by the brilliant Paul Holes and his team. It is clear that the title or term when referring to a series of unsolved crimes matters, although as humans the fact that our attention is more drawn to unsolved crimes with flashy titles than unsolved crimes with no title or an unappealing title, is hard for us to admit, as morally we all know that unsolved serious crimes deserve our equal attention. But, unfortunately human nature gets in the way of moral objectivity. Titles such as the Zodiac Killer and BTK have helped keep unsolved murders in the public eye for decades, and in the case of Jack the Ripper for well over a century.
Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle ‘usually’ refers to the unexplained disappearances of six young women in the East of Ireland between 1993 and 1998. However, the time span and number of cases has long been disputed. In the broadest of timelines the series could span from as far back as 1979 with the murder of Phillis Murphy and as recent as 2011 with the unexplained disappearance of Esra Uyrun covering a total of an estimated seventeen unsolved murders and disappearances. In several of these seventeen cases, arrests have been made, and three bodies have been found. The Gardi are certain that another three of the victims were killed by men known to them, but their remains have yet to be found. Two of the cases have strong suspects also known to the victim, but nobody has yet to be convicted for any of these murders and presumed murders.
For the purpose of this article, I will cover seven cases between the years of 1987 to 2003. Unlike the nine previously mentioned cases, there is no motive and the reason for their murder and presumed murder largely remains a mystery. Links on the nine cases I have decided not to include will be provided at the end of the article. The decision to discuss/include the seven specific cases is merely based on opinion which is 100% open to debate, and despite researching these cases for numerous years, I am still not certain on the timeline or the number of cases to include- which really gives you a quick insight into the complexities of these cases or series, as it is somewhat a case of ‘the more you know the less you know’. In relation to the seven as of yet unsolved cases I have decided to include, some arrests have been made, interviews conducted, and suspects uncovered, but most importantly nobody has been convicted in relation to these heinous crimes.
For the purpose of this article the cases will be laid out in chronological form.
July 1987
Antoinette Smith
Location: Dublin City/Glencullen Dublin and Wicklow Mountains
Antoinette Smith was a mother of two originally from Crumlin. By 1987, she was living in the South West Dublin suburb of Clondalkin with her two young children. Antoinette was dedicated to her children, and it seemed her life mostly revolved around them, which is credit to her character as she was only 27 years of age.
On Saturday the 11th of July 1987, Antoinette attended a David Bowie concert in Slane Castle, Co. Meath with a friend, having previously arranged to have her children babysat by their father Karl. By 11pm that evening both women had returned to Dublin City, where they attended the now closed La Mirage nightclub on Parnell Street. At roughly 2:30am Antoinette and her friend parted company on O’Connell Street. Antoinette had arranged to return to her friend’s house later that night, unfortunately though she never made it to the house. The last confirmed sighting of 27 year old Antoinette Smith was of her walking on O’Connell Street towards O’Connell Bridge sometime between 2:30am and 3am.
Sadly Antoinette’s body was found ten months later during April of 1988, by a young family, in an area of the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains known as Glendoo. Professor John Harbison concluded that Antoinette most likely died through asphyxiation as there was no sign of trauma. Shockingly two bags were found placed on Antoinette’s head with the inner bag knotted tightly around the neck, unfortunately due to decomposition Professor Harbison could not confirm whether the bags were placed on Antoinette before or after she died. Some of Antoinette’s personal items were recovered, but the black Texaco sports bag she had with her remains missing.
The gap in time from when Antoinette was reported missing and being found unfortunately gave her killer or killers a head start on authorities. And to this day they have yet to be brought to justice. For justifiable reasons Antoinette’s ex-husband Karl is rightfully not considered a suspect.
December 1991
Patricia Doherty
Location: Tallaght/Dublin and Wicklow Mountains
Like Antoinette Smith Patricia Doherty was a young mother of two. Patricia was originally from Co. Kerry, but by 1991 she was living in the sprawling South West Dublin Suburb of Tallaght with her husband Patrick and children. Patricia had recently started a job as prison guard in Mount Joy Prison having previously worked as a secretary at a local school.
Shortly after 9pm on the 23rd of December, Patricia returned to her home in Allenton Lawns after a long day shopping and running errands throughout Tallaght, mostly in preparation for Christmas. At roughly 9:15pm Patricia decided to go back out to shop at a nearby shopping centre known as Old Bawn. However, there was no reported sighting of Patricia at the shops after 9:15pm. There was though two witness reports one stating that 29 year old Patricia was seen walking in the direction of the Old Bawn Shopping Centre shortly after 9pm. The second witness report was of a woman matching Patricia’s description entering a red car outside of the Old Bawn Shopping Centre.
Shockingly there has been no other reported sightings of Patricia Doherty and it seemed as if she had vanished with little or no trace. On Christmas Day, Patricia was reported missing by her husband Patrick at Tallaght Garda Station.
Some six months later on the 21st of June 1992 a man was cutting turf in an area of the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains known as Glassmucky Breaks when sadly he found Patricia’s body buried in a bog which had collapsed due to prolonged dry weather. Patricia Doherty was found less than mile from Antoinette Smith. Professor John Harbison concluded that Patricia had died through asphyxiation.
It is now almost 32 years since Patricia was last seen alive, and nobody has been convicted for her heinous murder. And Patricia’s family remains without answers.
March 1993
Annie McCarrick
Location: Sandymount/Dublin and Wicklow Mountains.
Annie McCarrick was a 26 year American student living in South Dublin at the time of her disappearance. Annie had previously lived in Ireland between 1987 and 1990 but decided to fully relocate to Ireland in early 1993, from her home town of Bayport Long Island. After college Annie planned to be a school teacher.
At roughly 11am on Friday the 26th of March Annie McCarrick left her apartment in St Catherine’s Court in Dublin’s Sandymount to visit a supermarket and the bank. Whilst visiting the bank and shops, Annie phoned some friends from a payphone and told them about her plans to visit Enniskerry in the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains that day. At 3pm Annie returned to her apartment and left again at 3:15pm; for some unknown reason Annie did not unpack her food shopping despite it containing perishable ingredients.
Annie was later spotted boarding the number 44 bus heading for Enniskerry by a former work colleague. There was two unconfirmed sightings of Annie McCarrick in Enniskerry that evening- one in a post office and another in a café known as Poppies. A further sighting of Annie was reported later that evening in pub called Johnny Fox’s at 9:30pm again, though this sighting cannot be fully confirmed. However, these are the last reported sightings of Annie. To this day she has yet to be found.
On the 30th anniversary of Annie’s disappearance it was announced that the case had been upgraded to a murder investigation. And the investigation will now focus on the Sandymount area where Annie lived. It now also seems that an individual known to Annie has been ...
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