The prime suspect walks free for the murder of Nora Sheehan after the death of the pathologist left the DPP's case unable to proceed to trial.

In this second chapter of a two-part investigation, John Sweetman looks at how four decades after Nora Sheehan’s disappearance and death in 1981, advances in forensic technology breathed new life into a long-dormant investigation.

In this episode, we explore how preserved evidence from fibres and paint fragments to a partial DNA profile was re-examined by investigators as as long-preserved traces ignite a renewed hunt for answers.

Presented by John Sweetman
Created by Darren Cleary
Episode Written by Darren Cleary
Script Edited by Eoin Brennan
Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan
Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons
Produced by Siobhan Walsh
Produced by Siobhan Maguire
Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh
Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith
Marketing Support by Bríd Walsh and Róisín Reilly
Social Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree
Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

In June 1981, Nora Sheehan left the South Infirmary Hospital in Cork and disappeared into the night. In the hours that followed, she was seen by witnesses walking alone after midnight, a familiar figure on dark roads and quiet streets.

Days later, her battered body was discovered dumped in woodland far from the city. Her murder shocked Cork and marked the beginning of a case that would stretch across generations.

In this opening chapter of a two-part investigation, John Sweetman reconstructs Nora’s final movements, the witness sightings after midnight, and the immediate aftermath of her disappearance. What emerges is the story of a vulnerable woman who vanished in plain sight and a killing that would become one of Ireland’s longest-running cold cases.

Presented by John Sweetman

Created by Darren Cleary

Episode Written by Darren Cleary

Script Edited by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Produced by Siobhan Walsh

Produced by Siobhan Maguire

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh

Audio Editing Support by Ed Smith

Marketing Support by Bríd Walsh and Róisín Reilly

Social Support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Artwork and Graphics by Eric Rowntree

The Walsh house in rural Connemara is quiet by 4am on the 22nd of June 1985. Earlier in the night it was full of people celebrating the brief return of two family members who had emigrated. But now the friends, neighbours and even the local Gardaí who had attended the party have all dispersed. So, when 14 year old Jacquie Walsh wakes up in the middle of the night the only person she sees is her mother, 33 year old Barbara asleep on the couch. Jacquie tries to wake her but when she does not stir, Jacquie places a pillow beneath her head and drapes a blanket around her before heading to bed. Barbara Walsh was never seen again.

For years, her family were told that the young mother of 7 must have wandered off – Despite not having a car and living over 50 miles away from Galway city.

In this episode, former Garda forensic detective John Sweetman goes back to 1985 and examines the original investigation, the new leads for the cold case team and asks where is Barbara Walsh?

Presented by John Sweetman

Created by Darren Cleary

Episode Written by Siobhan Walsh

Script Edited by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Produced by Siobhan Walsh

Assistant Produced by Siobhan Maguire

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh

Audio Editing support by Ed Smith

Marketing support by Bríd Walsh and Roisin Reilly

Social support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Artwork and graphics by Eric Rowntree