In 1993, Annie McCarrick, a 26-year-old American woman, disappeared in Ireland, and her case has remained unsolved for almost three decades. She was last seen on March 26, 1993, wearing a dark-colored tweed jacket and oxblood-colored cowboy boots, carrying a tan shoulder bag. She vanished after leaving her Dublin apartment to visit the Wicklow Mountains.

The authorities conducted extensive search operations, but there was no trace of Annie. Her mysterious disappearance remains unsolved, and several individuals have been identified as possible suspects over the years, but no one has been charged.

Annie Bridget McCarrick was born on March 21, 1967, and was the only child of her parents, John and Nancy. Though she grew up on Long Island, New York, it was during a school trip to Ireland in her teenage years that she developed a deep appreciation for the country and its culture. Following her passion, she went on to study at St Patrick’s College in Drumcondra and Maynooth before returning to New York to complete her education at Stony Brook University in 1991.

Ireland – The Inner Calling of Annie McCarrick

On January 4, 1993, Annie moved to Ireland permanently and settled in St Catherine’s Court, Sandymount, where she shared a rented accommodation with two other tenants. To support herself, she took on waitressing jobs at the Courtyard Restaurant in Donnybrook and Cafe Java on Leeson Street.

Annie traveled home to the United States for the Christmas holidays but returned to Ireland in early January and resumed her studies and part-time work.

On March 26, 1993, Annie vanished after leaving her Dublin apartment to visit the Wicklow Mountains. She was last seen wearing a dark-colored tweed jacket and oxblood-colored cowboy boots. She was carrying a tan shoulder bag.

Annie was a Caucasian female with brown hair and a pronounced American accent, weighed 140 pounds with a height of 5’8”.

Timeline of events leading to Annie McCarrick’s disappearance

On March 17, 1993, Annie participated in the St Patrick’s Day parade with her friends.
Between March 18 and March 24, 1993, she continued with her usual activities of work, socializing at various licensed premises, and visiting friends.

On March 25, 1993, Annie went to Cafe Java to collect her wages, but they were not ready, so she arranged to return the next day. Later that day, she had dinner with her friends.

On March 26, 1993, Annie talked to her flatmates, made plans for her mother’s upcoming visit on March 30, and visited the Allied Irish Bank (AIB) branch on Sandymount Road before 11 am. This was the last confirmed sighting of her, captured on CCTV. There were several reported sightings of her in Sandymount Green, boarding a No. 44 bus bound for Enniskerry, and being seen in Enniskerry village and Johnnie Fox’s pub.

On March 27, Annie’s friends became worried after she did not show up for dinner or work. When a friend visited her apartment that evening, they spoke to her flat mates and discovered that groceries purchased by Annie on March 26, 1993, were still unpacked in shopping bags. A receipt found in the bags showed the date and time of purchase to be 11:02 am. This was the last confirmed activity by Annie.

On March 28, Annie was reported missing by a friend after she failed to show up for work in the morning. Worried about her safety, her friends contacted the police and her parents in New York. The report was made at Irishtown Garda Station.

On March 30, Annie’s mother Nancy arrived and filed a missing person’s report.

The last sighting of Annie McCarrick

On March 26, 1993, Annie McCarrick had planned to go on a day trip to the Wicklow Mountains but unfortunately, her friend she had invited to join her could not make it. Therefore, she went alone. On the No. 44 Bus from Ranelagh to Enniskerry, she was spotted at 3:40 p.m.

Later that evening, between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m., there was a possible sighting of her at Johnnie Fox’s Pub in Glencullen, where she was talking to a man in his twenties who was wearing a waxed jacket. Annie had attended the Hooley Show, an event featuring traditional Irish music and dancing, and was unaware of the £2 cover charge. Her companion paid for her and continued to pay for her throughout the evening. The man she was with has never been identified and no one saw them leave the pub.

Johnnie Fox’s Pub was a popular venue that she had visited before, and after her disappearance, many people who had been there that night recognized her picture in the newspapers and came forward with information. Although the sighting is believed to be credible, it has not been confirmed.

Uncovering the Mystery of Annie McCarrick’s disappearance: Suspects, Serial Killers, and a Private Investigator’s Theory

Authorities conducted extensive search operations in the Wicklow Mountains and the Leinster region, where several women had gone missing in the past few years but there was no trace of Annie. Furthermore, several men with prior records of sexual assault were investigated, including convicted rapist Larry Murphy and “Wolfman” Robert Howard, who was later found guilty of murdering Hannah Williams.

The authorities suspect that McCarrick was a victim of homicide. During the same time period, several other women in and around Dublin went missing or were found dead, leading investigators to believe that a serial killer may have been operating in the area.

In 2008, two individuals were identified as possible suspects in her disappearance and presumed death. Although neither person has been publicly named, it is known that they resided in the Wicklow region in 1993 and had no prior criminal records.

One of the suspects in Annie’s disappearance is a former member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a now-defunct Irish nationalist terrorist group. This man allegedly raped a twelve-year-old daughter of another IRA member, and possibly other girls. The investigators think that the IRA sent him to the United States to avoid prosecution. The authorities believe that Annie met this IRA member on the night of her disappearance at Johnnie Fox’s Pub and that he murdered her. However, this suspect has not been publicly named.

Annie’s father hired a private investigator who believes that she was not at Johnnie Fox’s Pub on the night she went missing. He argues that she would not have walked that far in the rain. The evening was cold and wet, and she would have had to walk 3.73 miles from the bus stop to the pub.

Instead, the private investigator gives weight to a sighting of Annie at a small coffee shop called Poppies. According to the witness, who has since passed away, Annie was seen with a man who paid for her to purchase a snack. The two of them then left. The private investigator believes that he has identified this man and that he may have been responsible for Annie’s disappearance.

Update on Annie McCarrick’s Disappearance

In 2018, the Gardai announced that they had a new lead in the case. They believed that Annie McCarrick had been murdered by a known criminal who was living in the United States. The Gardai conducted searches in several locations in Ireland and the United States but found no evidence to support this theory.

The investigation into Annie McCarrick’s disappearance remains ongoing, with occasional leads and sightings reported, but no significant progress has been made.

Annie McCarrick’s Disappearance Upgraded to a Murder Inquiry

On March 24, 2023, Detective Superintendent Eddie Carroll of the Gardai announced in a press briefing that after almost 30 years, they have decided to upgrade the investigation of Annie’s disappearance to a murder case. The decision was made based on all the information gathered by the investigation team at Irishtown Garda Station. The Gardai are now convinced that it is highly probable that Annie was murdered.

Annie’s father John passed away without ever finding out what happened to his only daughter. However, Annie’s mother Nancy still remains hopeful of finding the truth and learning about the events that occurred on or around March 26, 1993. She has been waiting for over 30 years to finally receive answers.

Source: The Sun, The Irish Times, Wikipedia