Latest news with #OperationTrace
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Annamayya police launch ‘Operation Trace' to unite missing girls with families
The Annamayya district police has launched a month-long special initiative 'Operation Trace' to trace and reunite missing girls with their families, Superintendent of Police V. Vidyasagar Naidu said here on Sunday (August 3, 2025). The SP said that the initiative which commenced on August 1 would continue till August 31. 'A strategic action plan involving data collection, shelter inspections, FIR re-verification, and deployment of advanced technologies like facial recognition, DNA tests, and Aadhaar-linked age verification would be carried out as part of the programme,' he said. 'We have formed special task force teams at the sun-division level, who work in coordination with the teams of the neighbouring districts. From August 11, we will conduct the drive at railway stations, bus stands, religious places, and red-light areas,' Mr. Naidu said, appealing to the public to assist the police in their campaign. The SP asked the public to report missing children through the Shakti App, helpline numbers 1098, 181, dial 112, or WhatsApp 7993485111. Meanwhile, in another move to reduce the crime rate in the district, the police took 150 persons with non-bailable warrants against them into custody.
The Hindu
31-07-2025
- The Hindu
A.P. police to launch ‘Operation Trace' to identify missing and kidnapped girls from August 1
The Andhra Pradesh police will launch 'Operation Trace' from August 1 to 31 to identify missing and kidnapped girls in the State, said Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta. The aim of the programme is to trace girls and reunite them with their families. The Women and Child Safety Wing will conduct the operation in association with the IGPs, DIGs and Superintendents of Police (SPs) and other officers across the State, the DGP said. Releasing the posters of Operation Trace, along with Additional DGP (Law and Order) N. Madhusudhan Reddy and Women and Child Safety Wing head and IGP B. Raja Kumari, at the A.P. Police headquarters on Thursday, the DGP said that police will constitute task force teams and collect data in all districts from August 1 to 3. The police officers will visit the shelter homes, enquire about the details of girls staying in NGO homes, verify their aadhaar cards, file FIRs, and speak with their family members. From August 10 to 31, the police teams will launch 'Find Her' programme and conduct searches in bus and railway stations, shrines and other places. 'Instructions have been given on top priority for 'Operation Trace' to identify the missing and kidnapped girls and inquire about the status of the cases,' Mr. Harish Kumar Gupta said. Police will trace the girls in the border check-posts, use facial recognition and Mission Vatsalya portal, reconnect them with their families through Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), provide counselling through NGOs and necessary medical aid to them, the DGP said. CID Women Protection Cell Superintendent of Police N. Sridevi Rao and other officers were alos present during the occasion.
Extra.ie
15-06-2025
- Extra.ie
Close associate of Annie suspect led to his arrest
Gardai decided to arrest the chief suspect in the Annie McCarrick murder case after travelling to another jurisdiction to speak with a close associate of the man, has learned. It is understood the arrest came as detectives worked on the theory that the 26-year-old American student was murdered by a 'jealous' man known to her. The first arrest in the 32-year-old case also came after gardaí crosschecked statements made at the time Ms McCarrick vanished in March 1993 with statements taken over the last two years. These included statements from the close associate and others known to the chief suspect. Annie McCarrick. Pic: An Garda Síochána In March 2023, Extra revealed a person of 'significant interest' to detectives was identified and that this was the reason the case was being upgraded to a murder investigation at the time. The development came more than 30 years after Ms McCarrick's friends originally told gardaí that they were concerned about the man, who was well known to her. They were worried that the man had been harassing their friend before she suddenly vanished without a trace. Witness statements from the now chief suspect were taken at the time. However, reported sightings of the young woman deflected attention away from the man. Ms McCarrick was reported to have been seen in Enniskerry and in the nearby Johnnie Fox's pub. These sightings became a focus for investigating detectives over the following years. In 1998, gardaí established Operation Trace amid growing concerns over several cases involving women who had vanished in the east of the country. It was set up to determine if any of the cases of these missing women were linked and whether a serial killer was to blame. This line of enquiry brought gardaí even further away from their now chief suspect. However, in March 2023, the case was to be upgraded to a murder investigation. Gardai decided to arrest the chief suspect in the Annie McCarrick murder case after travelling to another jurisdiction to speak with a close associate of the man, has learned. By that stage, these previous reported 'sightings' had been all but discounted by the new investigation team that was being led by Superintendent Eddie Carroll. Garda attention moved back to Ms McCarrick's inner circle at the time and the now chief suspect was examined more closely. This man went on to lead a full life in the time that elapsed: he married, had children and was successful in business. But this past week − in the first major development in the case − he was arrested. Another significant development came this week when the suspect's former family home in Clondalkin, Dublin, was cordoned off. Heavy machinery was moved in and the cadaver dog, Fern, who found Tina Satchwell's body buried under the stairs of her family home, was brought in. Searches of the house, which was significantly renovated 10 years ago, were still going on yesterday. The current owners of the property have nothing to do with the case. The chief suspect was released without charge on Friday, and he is understood to have returned to his home. Gardaí confirmed the man's release in a statement. Unusually in these cases, the statement did not refer to a file being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Annie McCarrick. Pic: Collins Photos Sources with knowledge of the case wonder now whether, if detectives had focused more on Ms McCarrick's personal relationships − as is usually the case when a woman is murdered − the three-decade long case would have been solved long ago. Despite the passage of time, Ms McCarrick's family's lawyer, US-based Michael Griffith, told Extra this week that he has not lost faith in seeing justice done for Annie. He said he and the family now await the 'next developments' in the investigation. 'I'm a very optimistic lawyer. I hope that one day it will have been solved, and over the years I've gone to Ireland, I've got some friends there,' he said. 'I've made it my business to be interviewed by the gardaí, by the local press, to try to keep the embers burning and I'm delighted to know that there's been an arrest, although there is no conviction at this point, there's only an arrest. 'So let's see what the next developments will be.'
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Irish Times
Annie McCarrick: Cold case murder detectives must overcome poor investigations of 1990s
When the man questioned about the murder of Annie McCarrick in 1993 was finally released without charge on Friday afternoon , he stepped into the Dublin sunshine to a waiting pack of photographers and TV crews, and quickly disappeared. It is now just over 32 years since the killing of the New Yorker. The initial Garda investigation was poor. It looked in the wrong places. Against that backdrop, it is a crime that will be very hard to solve. When suspects arrested on suspicion of serious crimes are released without charge, it is often confirmed in a media statement from Garda Headquarters. In most instances it references a file being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). [ Annie McCarrick: Gardaí arrest chief suspect, search property after new information emerges Opens in new window ] On Friday, there was no reference to any such file being sent for a decision around charging the McCarrick murder suspect with any offence. He has not been publicly identified. It simply adds to the sense that so much time has passed since Ms McCarrick vanished that whoever killed her will never be brought to justice. READ MORE In 1998, amid growing concern at a number of cases involving women vanishing in the east of the country, the Garda set up Operation Trace, aimed at determining if any of the cases were linked and whether a serial killer was involved. It eventually concluded the cases were not connected. Far from a serial killer at work, or multiple strangers preying on all of the women, a much more familiar narrative has since emerged. It is now strongly suspected that most of the women were killed by a man known to them; the enduring, depressing, feature of femicide. Ms McCarrick, who vanished on Friday, March 26th, 1993, from Sandymount, south Dublin, where she lived, was one of the women included in Operation Trace. Gardaí now suspect she was killed by a man known to her and who she had once been very close to. Fiona Pender, who was last seen, aged 25, on August 23rd, 1996. Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullard, who went missing in 1995 The other cases included in Operation Trace were: Fiona Sinnott, Josephine Dullard , Deirdre Jacob , Ciara Breen and Fiona Pender . Gardaí suspect Ms Sinnott, Ms Pender, Ms McCarrick and Ms Breen were all murdered by men known to them and their bodies disposed of to conceal the crimes in an era before the proliferation of the CCTV systems and mobile phones that now often unmask killers. In the cases of Ms Dullard and Ms Jacob, it is believed they were abducted and killed in sexually motivated opportunistic attacks, which are highly unusual. A file was sent to the DPP in 2021 in relation to the killing of Ms Jacob, who went missing close to her home in Newbridge, Co Kildare, in July, 1998. However, no charges were directed against the suspect, the convicted rapist Larry Murphy. The case was a reminder, if one were needed, that slow or botched police work when the women vanished is now very hard to overcome. Because the bodies of the victims were not found, they were treated as missing persons cases and not given the urgency, or resources, of a murder inquiry. And that simply handed an advantage to the killers. Forensic and other physical evidence was lost, while witnesses were not interviewed when their recall was freshest. However, renewed investigations have sought to solve the crimes decades later. In three of the six cases, arrests or searches have occurred since late last year, including this week's moves in the McCarrick investigation. Last month, two sites in Co Offaly and Co Laois were excavated by gardaí looking for the remains of Ms Pender . She was aged 26 years and was seven-months pregnant when she vanished from her home in Tullamore, Co Offaly, in 1996. Nothing was found in the recent searches and the suspected killer is a man who was close to her. Last November a man was arrested, and later released without charge, in connection with the disappearance and murder of Kilkenny woman Josephine 'Jo Jo' Dullard (21). She vanished in Moone, Co Kildare, in 1995. Lands were also excavated last November in the Kildare-Wicklow area, though neither her remains nor any other evidence was found. Garda sources said the investigations would continue. And in the case of Ms McCarrick, the ongoing search in Clondalkin this weekend keeps alive a hope that a breakthrough could be made. However, the combination of poor initial investigations, and now the passage of decades since these women were killed, has proven an, as yet, insurmountable challenge for today's detectives.
The Irish Sun
25-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
‘He wouldn't have walked away' says ex-cold case cop in never too late info plea as Michael Gaine mystery in 5th week
A FORMER cold case Gardai has shared his thoughts on the case of a missing Kerry farmer. Michael Gaine has been 4 Michael was last seen on Thursday March 20, 2025 in his local Centra store Credit: Garda Press Office Handout 4 Searches included over 250 volunteers at the start and the army are now involved Credit: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD The 56-year-old was on Thursday March 20, 2025 before 10am in his local Centra store . The Despite weeks of READ MORE IN MICHAEL GAINE Now, an ex-cold case Alan Bailey, a former detective garda sergeant who has worked on many murder and missing persons cases spoke to He told how once Michael was reported missing, the Gardai didn't waste a second. He explained: "I would say that the Gardai really hit the ground running, from what I can see from the outside... In this case, within days you've had major searches being organized, and not saying casual searches - full scale searches. Most read in Irish News "You had the army being brought in, you had specialist teams being brought in." He noted that isn't always the case immediately. Ireland's Longest Unsolved Missing Persons Cases Bailey added: "You have to admire the Gardai for the way they responded." But he acknowledged that so far, there sadly hasn't been any update - though the searches are continuing, to a scale that Bailey said he has never seen before. The search so far has included over 250 volunteers in the first few days, multiple Gardai units, drones, helicopters, civil defence forces and other state and volunteer bodies. He added: "It shows how seriously the Gardai viewed the circumstances of his disappearance." And now, he is urging anyone with any information at all to come forward - not matter how small they believe it is. INFO PLEA He explained that people with information may feel that they would be judged because they didn't come forward with it on the first day, or even because of the source - but stressed that you won't be judged. But he added: "We learned very early in Operation Trace never to judge the information by its source... Don't question the source, question the information and then go back to the source. "You have all sorts of people contacting you with all sorts of theories - don't dismiss them." Speaking about the day Michael disappeared, Bailey explained that for Michael it was likely just a normal day where he put the phone on the dashboard to walk the 'YOU JUST DON'T KNOW' Heartbreakingly however, he noted that if Michael had his phone with him, there would be more information available to the Gardai. He said: "Had he it with him, you'd now be using the triangulation method to find the phone and then to find Michael. "It's just one of those unfortunate things, if he had it in his pocket it would be a great assist at this stage." He added that on the other side, someone may have left the phone there on purpose so it couldn't be traced - noting "you just don't know." Bailey told the host how Michael "wouldn't have walked away" from his life and his farm. 'WE STILL NEED HELP' He said: "He wouldn't have just walked away, that's what makes it all the more suspicious. That is the reality of it." Bailey urged the public to come forward with any information, saying: "It's so important that the appeal is left out there, that people don't forget. "Keep it out foremost in your mind, and in the mind of people who knew Michael, that we still need help finding him." 4 Michael Gaine has been missing for five weeks Credit: Gardai Missing Persons 4 The Army was brought in to help search for Michael in Co Kerry Credit: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD
