Man arrested in connection with disappearance and murder of Annie McCarrick

The 26-year-old woman, originally from New York, went missing on March 26 1993. At the time of her disappearance, she was living in rented accommodation at St. Catherine’s Court, Sandymount, Dublin 4.

A man in his 60s has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Annie McCarrick, who disappeared in Dublin over three decades ago.

Gardaí confirmed the arrest on Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing investigation into the 1993 case. 

The man is being held at a Garda station in Dublin under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

In a major development, officers have also launched a detailed search of a property in Clondalkin, Dublin 22. 

The house and garden are now the subject of forensic and technical examination. Gardaí said the current residents of the home have no connection to Ms McCarrick or her disappearance.

The operation is being led by detectives from the DMR South Central Division and the Serious Crime Unit based at Irishtown Garda Station, with support from the Serious Crime Review Team and the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

McCarrick, a 26-year-old American woman originally from New York, vanished on 26 March 1993. 

She had been living in Sandymount and was planning a dinner with friends the following day, as well as preparing for a visit from her mother.

Her last confirmed sighting was that Friday morning when she bought groceries at Quinnsworth in Sandymount. The receipt found in her flat showed a purchase time of 11.02am. 

The groceries were never unpacked.

Gardaí said they are keeping Ms McCarrick’s family fully informed and renewed their appeal for information. 

They are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have previously withheld information and now feels able to come forward.

Anyone with relevant details is urged to contact Irishtown Garda Station on 01 666 9600 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.

'She fell in love with Ireland'

Annie was born on March 21, 1967, and was 26 years old when she went missing. As a teenager, Ms McCarrick visited Ireland on a school trip.

Her parents described how she fell in love with Ireland and its way of life, and how, after returning home, she said she wanted to live there permanently.

She completed her third-level studies at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, and at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, in the 1980s, before returning to New York in 1991. She later finished her studies at Stony Brook University, NY.

On January 4, 1993, Ms McCarrick moved to Ireland permanently and settled into rental accommodation at St. Catherine's Court, Sandymount, where she lived with two other tenants.

Ms McCarrick was last seen on Friday, March 26, 1993, after speaking with her flatmates before they left separately to travel home for the weekend.

She had invited friends over for dinner the next day, Saturday, March 27.

Gardaí said she was "excited and making plans for her mother Nancy's impending visit to Ireland the following week." Her mother was due to arrive on March 30, 1993.

However, on Sunday, March 28, friends became concerned for Ms McCarrick’s welfare. She was not home when they arrived for dinner on Saturday, and she had also failed to show up for work on Saturday and again on Sunday morning.

A friend called to her apartment on Sunday evening and spoke with her two flatmates and she was reported missing at Irishtown Garda Station on the evening of Sunday, March 28, 1993.

"This missing person report was confirmed by her mother Nancy when she arrived in Dublin on Tuesday, March 30, 1993," a Garda spokesperson said.