On 25th September, 2001, 28 year old German tourist Bettina Poeschel took a train from Dublin to Drogheda, Co Louth. She wanted to visit Newgrange – an ancient monument in the Meath countryside. She decided to make the 10km walk from the town to take in the countryside while there.
But Bettina never made it to Newgrange.
She had disappeared into thin air.
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Theme Music:
Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additional Music: Allemande (Sting) by Wahneta Meixsell. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sources:
“Gardai search for German woman” in The Irish Times(28 September 2001) p. 4.
“River searched as worries grow for missing tourist” in The Irish Independent (28 September 2001) p. 1.
Bill Corcoran, “Where is my daughter?” in The Evening Herald(28 September 2001) p. 1, 2.
“Locals urged to search area for any trace of Bettina” in The Irish Independent (29 September 2001) p. 5
“Family fear vanished journalist accepted lift” in The Irish Independent (29 September 2001) p. 5.
Elaine Keogh, “Gardai hunt for missing woman” in The Irish Times (29 September 2001) p. 20
Cathy Donaghy, “Search set to widen for missing German journalist” in The Irish Independent(1 October 2001) p. 9
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Elaine Keogh, “Missing woman appeal” in The Irish Times(2 October 2001) p. 3.
Brendan Farrelly, “Gardai in search for tourist appeal to Newgrange visitors” in The Irish Independent(5 October 2001) p. 8
Paul Murphy, ‘Please help me find my sister” in The Drogheda Independent (5 October 2001) p. 1
Ann Casey, “Bettina: Huge search now centred on Boyne Valley” in The Meath Chronicle (6 October 2001) p. 1.
Grainne Cunningham and Richie McCullen, “Locals in fear over missing woman” in The Evening Herald(9 October 2001)
Bernie O’Toole, “’Trace’ team join search for Bettina” in The Evening Herald (15 October 2001) p. 6.
Bill Corcoran, “Missing tourist’s mum in torment” in The Evenign Herald (12 October 2001) p. 16
Caroline O’Doherty, “Garda still searching for clues on missing tourist” in The Irish Times (16 October 2001) p. 5.
Elaine Keogh, Brendan Farrelly and Martina Devlin, “Murder hunt after woman found dead” in The Irish Independent(18 October 2001) p. 1, 4
Elaine Edwards, “German family returns to Ireland after body is found” in The Irish Times (18 October 2001) p. 1.
Sean McCarthaigh, “Body found believed to be missing woman” in The Irish Examiner (18 October 2001)
Elaine Edwards, “Fear in tourist area as body discovered” in The Irish Times (18 October 2001) p. 4.
Bill Corcoran and Alan O’Keefe, “Father fears his worst nightmare after body found” in The Irish Independent(19 October 2001) p. 4.
Caroline O’Doherty, “Further wait to identify woman” in The Irish Times (19 October 2001) p. 6.
Sean O”Riordan, “Family of murdered German woman arrive to identify body” in The Irish Examiner (22 October 2001) p. 2
Kitty Holland, “Missing woman’s family to visit Ireland” in The Irish Times (22 October 2001) p. 4.
Elaine Keogh, “DNA may lead to suspect” in The Irish Times(26 October 2001) p. 8.
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Mark Sage, “Body found in undergrowth identified as German journalist” in The Irish Examiner(26 October 2001) p. 2.
Ann Casey, “PM may confirm german woman was strangled” in The Meath Chronicle (27 October 2001) p. 1.
Richie McCullen, Bernie O’Toole and Fiona Dillon, “Three arrested in Bettina case” in The Evening Herald(27 October 2001) p. 1.
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“Man charged with murder of tourist” in The Irish Times(29 October 2001) p. 15.
John Breslin, “Tourist murder accused in court” in The Irish Examiner (29 October 2001) p. 5.
“Drogheda man charged with murder of tourist” in The Drogheda Independent (2 November 2001) p. 1.
“Remembrance ceremony for Bettina” in The Drogheda Independent(9 November 2001) p. 1.
“Crowd jeers murder accused as he is further remanded” in The Meath Chronicle (10 November 2001) p. 5.
“Family visit murder scene” in The Irish Independent(15 November 2001) p. 10
Bill Corcoran, “Please give us Bettina’s body” in The Evening Herald (23 November 2001) p. 1, 4.
“Grieving family want memorial” in The Irish Times(3 December 2001) p. 5.
Geraldine Niland, “Woman’s body still being held” in The Sunday Independent (30 December 2001) p. 6.
“Murder accused denied bail” in The Drogheda Independent(18 January 2002) p. 2
Richie McCullen, “Bettina’s remains released to family” in The Evening Herald (4 February 2002) p. 12.
“Bettina remembered in moving memorial’ in The Drogheda Independent(17 May 2002) p. 6.
Sorcha Crowley, “Accused denies the murder of German woman” in The Irish Independent (13 January 2004) p. 4.
Sorcha Crowley, “Killing accused ‘returned to murder scene’” in The Evening Herald (13 January 2004) p. 16
“Murder trial jury discharged” in The Irish Independent(14 January 2004) p. 8
Sorcha Crowley, “Naked body left in a ditch” in The Evening Herald (20 January 2004) p. 23
Sorcha Crowley, “Accused snapped near death scene” in The Evening Herald (21 January 2004) p. 21/117
Sorcha Crowley, “Garda found tourist’s body in dense undergrowth” in The Irish Independent (21 January 2004) p. 4
Sorcha Crowley, “Garda thought tourist’s body was a roll of kitchen lino” in The Irish Examiner(21 January 2004) p. 21
Victoria Ward, “Garda ‘found tourist’s headless body’” in The Irish Examiner (22 January 2004) p. 8.
Sorcha Crowley, “Sister relived horror murder call” in The Evening Herald (22 January 2004) p. 20.
“Dead journalist’s last days recalled” in The Irish Times(22 January 2004) p. 4.
Sorcha Crowley, “Body left in field for weeks” in The Irish Times (23 January 2004) p. 23
“Body moved from murder scene, says Harbison” in The Irish Times (23 January 2004) p. 4
“Accused was seen with a fair-haired girl, court told” in The Irish Times (24 January 2004) p. 4.
Sorcha Crowley, “Bettina’s body had ‘disinfectant’ smell” in The Sunday Independent (25 January 2004) p. 13.
“Murder accused ‘visited doctor’” in The Evening Herald(26 January 2004) p. 6
“Men tell murder trial accused did not spend break with them” in The Irish Times (27 January 2004) p. 4.
“Murder accused was seen with girl in car” in The Drogheda Independent (30 January 2004) p. 8
“Schoolfriend recalls last days” in The Drogheda Independent(30 January 2004) p. 8
“Victim may have been killed and dumped later” in The Drogheda Independent (30 January 2004) p. 8
“Legal argument continues in trial” in The Irish Times(30 January 2004) p. 4.
“Scene were body found ‘printed in GP’s mind’” in The Meath Chronicle (31 January 2004) p. 6.
“I’m sorry for Bettina” in The Evening Herald(5 February 2004) p. 18
“Detective says accused apologised for murder” in The Irish Times(5 February 2004) p. 4.
“Murder accused returned to the body, court is told” in The Irish Times (6 February 2004) p. 4.
Sorcha Crowley, “Murder case man ‘said he hid clothes’ court told” in The Irish Independent(7 February 2004) p. 11.
“Jury hears accused’s DNA matched sample on body” in The Irish Times (10 February 2004) p. 4.
Sorcha Crowley, “DNA found on murder victim matched suspect” in The Evening Herald (10 February 2004) p. 21
Sorcha Crowley, “Murder trial nearing end” in The Evening Herald (11 February 2004) p. 24.
“Murder trial of Louth man concludes” in The Irish Times(12 February 2004) p. 6.
Jimmy Cunningham, “Court hears claims that Murphy said he was ‘so so sorry’” in The Drogheda Independent(13 February 2004) p. 6
Sorcha Crowley, “Jury ponders verdict on woman’s murder” in The Irish Independent (13 February 2004) p. 12.
Elaine Keogh, “Death in Meath after lone walk safely through Ecuador” in The Irish Independent(14 February 2004) p. 6.
Conor Lally, and Sorcha Crowley, “Tougher sentencing urged as killer’s past crimes revealed” in The Irish Times(14 February 2004) p. 1.
“Louth man gets life for killing German tourist” in The Irish Times (14 February 2004) p. 5.
Elaine Keogh, “Murderer had a long history of violence against women” in The Irish Examiner (14 February 2004) p 7
Elaine Keogh, “Murdered woman ‘had no fear’” in The Irish Examiner (14 February 2004) p. 7.
Anne-Marie Walsh, “Double killer struck after row with lover” in The Evening Herald (17 February 2004) pp 1, 12-13.
Jimmy Cunningham, “A knock on the door signalled the end for killer” in The Drogheda Independent(20 February 2004) p. 8.
Jimmy Cunningham, “Kitty’s cousin recalls awful time” in The Drogheda Independent (20 February 2004) p. 9.
Jimmy Cunningham, “’Murphy was not prime suspect’ – Gardai” in The Drogheda Independent (20 February 2004) p. 9.
Joanne Little. “Poeschel family in unique donation” in The Drogheda Independent (20 February 2004) p. 1, 2.
“Gardai warned on taping interviews” in The Irish Times(6 May 2005) p. 4.
John Maddock. “Judgment later in murder appeal” in The Irish Independent (22 April 2005) p. 8
John Maddock, “Gardai warned over recording interviews” in The Irish Independent (6 May 2005) p. 9.
Elaine Keogh, “Event in memory of murdered journalist” in The Irish Times (26 September 2011) p. 2.
Nichola Tallant, “Gardai quizzed killer over number of missing women” in The Irish Examiner (13 June 2006) p. 3
Ann Casey, “Remembering Bettina, a decade on from her murder” in The Meath Chronicle (24 September 2011) p. 2.
Elaine Keogh, “Community of Donore unites to remember murdered German tourist” in The Meath Chronicle(1 October 2011) p. 4.
Alison Comyn, “Augustinian prior in memorial plea: Protect women against violence” in The Drogheda Independent(19 October 2021) p. 4.
Alison Comyn, “Tragic Bettina, a soul that people of Donore village will never forget” in The Drogheda Independent(19 October 2021) p. 4.
DPP v Michael Murphy [2005] IECCA 52