Thirty-three years after a newborn baby was shockingly found dead on a beach in Kerry, the police have announced they are officially launching a murder investigation into the death.
Detectives will now be seeking DNA samples from people in the Iveragh Peninsula, south Kerry, as part of the new investigation into the death of Baby John.
Speaking at a press conference last night, Detective Superintendent Walter O'Sullivan of An Garda Síochána's Serious Crime Review Team said a new investigation was "starting from scratch" and that they were "going back to the very start."
They have also appealed for the baby's mother to come forward.
A blood sample has been in Gardaí’s possession since 1984, and thanks to new technological developments, they have been able to use the sample to develop a full DNA profile, and will be looking at this as well as seeking other DNA samples from locals in the area.
They say they are confident the key to the infant murder lies in the local area.
"The greatest assistance in this case will come from the people of south Kerry and we're certainly acting on the premise, drawing on our experience, that the answer to the case lies in south Kerry, in the Iveragh Peninsula," the Superintendent said.
This development comes hours after an official apology was made to a local woman, Joanne Hayes, who was wrongly arrested in connection with the baby's killing. It was reported yesterday that the acting Garda Commissioner, Dónall Ó Cualáin, had written to and spoken to Ms Hayes to formally apologise to her for the conduct of the original investigation. to formally apologise to her for the conduct of the original investigation.
