The Ballinanoma Woman mystery.

On the 12th of December 1995, a man was walking along Ballinamona Beach, Kilmuckridge, Co Wexford in Ireland when he spotted something close by the water’s edge. A woman's partially skeletonised remains had washed up on shore. Her remains, tangled with seaweed and washed ashore by the tide, were badly decomposed, indicating she had been in the water for a long time.

The Wexford coastline, where St George’s Channel and the Irish Sea meet, tends to be a hotspot where human remains are washed ahore or recovered by fisherman. The sad truth of the matter was, it wasn’t unusual.

After the gardai attended the scene, the woman’s remains were moved to Waterford County Hospital where a post-mortem was conducted. The pathologist reported the remains to be those of a woman aged between 25 and 40 years, who was about 176cm or 5”7 in height and had undergone a lot of dental treatment, even having a brace fitted on her bottom teeth.

She was wearing a pair of Lee jeans with a diamond-shaped motif of a woman wearing sunglasses, size 33/31 and a pair of brown laced shoes (EU size 39( white socks. On the insole of the shoes was a four-star symbol and the wording, “Made in France”. It was established that the jeans were manufactured in Belgium in 1986-1987 under the fashion name ‘Rumour’. The jeans were never officially sold in Ireland. 

She also had two Volkswagen keys in a pocket with a football keyring but no VW vehicle was found abandoned on the coast. 

Then state pathologist, Dr John Harbison, found no evidence of foul play and determined drowning was the suspected cause of death. Although extensive enquiries were made with international police including Interpol and missing persons organisations, her identity in early 1996 was undetermined. 

In May 1996, she was buried in Crosstown Cemetery, Wexford, and nylon ropes were placed around the coffin before it was lowered in case she needed to be given to her family. 

By 2007, a family of missing Irish woman Priscilla Clarke, advocated for the missing woman’s remains to be exhumed and a DNA sample taken. Once granted, a pathologist conducted another examination of her remains and they found that the skull was missing. It emerged that the mandible and her lower jaw bone were taken away for investigation in 1996, but were never returned.

A detective Gda Kealy, said he was struck by the woman’s teeth, referring to the previous examination photographs. Quote, “One of the very distinctive things was the braces on her lower teeth-train tracks. In 1995 it would have been most unusual for someone in the 20s or 30s to have braces, this was someone who was well looked after.

In order to compare the remains to missing Irish woman Priscilla Clarke, Kealy said he took two of the bones to the UK, put them in a steel case and took them to Birmingham to see if they could extract DNA from them. Eventually the DNA extracted confirmed it was not Priscilla Clarke

Former detective Kealy said he then went to the Doe Network, which is an international database of missing and unidentiied persons. He scoured thousands of profiles and, nothing. 

The Ballinamona woman is now almost a postscript at the bottom of the tombstone marking the grave, in which also lie the remains of Bristol native Mark Dean Heardon who drowned off Hook Head on March 5, 1995, while sailing on his own from Waterford to Dublin. 

They are buried in a so-called pauper’s grave in Grave 37, Section A at St Ibar’s cemetery, along with another man, Thomas Stafford, who died in 1951. While both men are named on the gravestone, there is just one line referencing the remains of “an unidentified female whose remains were washed ashore at Kilmuckridge 12th December 1995”.

Independently Produced by Ezra Magazine | We are and always will be 100% independent.

⁠⁠https://ezramagazine.com/thebeaumontchildren/⁠⁠ for more details about the case, including updated photos of the dig site.

For our original episode on the Beaumont children, please visit ⁠https://open.spotify.com/episode/4iU98rWCsOFpyS32zi2v3n?si=c36f4323a7f24c8c⁠#thebeaumontchildren #adelaide #castalloyfactory #truecrime #beaumont

Independently Produced by Ezra Magazine | We are and always will be 100% independent.

⁠https://ezramagazine.com/thebeaumontchildren/⁠ for more details about the case, including updated photos of the dig site.

For our original episode on the Beaumont children, please visit https://open.spotify.com/episode/4iU98rWCsOFpyS32zi2v3n?si=c36f4323a7f24c8c#thebeaumontchildren #adelaide #castalloyfactory #truecrime

Independently Produced by Ezra Magazine | We are and always will be 100%independent.

https://ezramagazine.com/thebeaumontchildren/ for more details about the case, including updated photos of the dig site.

WARNING: This episode discusses violence against children and may not be suitable for all listeners. Please use discretion.

Jessica vanished from Bathurst, Australia, in 1997—a case clouded by missed opportunities and police failings. In this episode, we explore Jessica’s final known movements, the chilling witness testimonies, and the damning inquest that exposed critical errors in the investigation.

From the suspicious white Holden Commodore spotted that night to key witnesses ignored for years, we piece together the evidence that may finally reveal the truth. Despite our efforts, NSW Police declined to comment on Jessica’s case.

Join us as we examine this tragic unsolved disappearance and the lingering questions that demand answers.

Warning: This episode discusses violence against children and may not be suitable for all listeners. Please use discretion.

On January 26, 1966, Jane (9), Arnna (7), and Grant (4) Beaumont vanished from Glenelg Beach, South Australia - one of Australia’s most infamous missing persons cases. Nearly 60 years later, their fate remains unknown, haunting the nation. This episode explores the Beaumont children’s disappearance, possible suspects (Bevan Spencer von Einem, Harry Phipps, Alan Munro), and the lasting impact on Australian society. With no arrests and no bodies found, will the truth ever come to light?

Research shows that when someone goes missing, 12 people are directly impacted - financially, emotionally and psychologically. The unique form of grief families and friends of missing people experience is called ambiguous loss. Many psychologists consider ambiguous loss to be the most traumatic kind of grief and the most unmanageable form of stress."

For more information, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠missed.org.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Background: Epidemic Sound (Licenced)

News archival sound: Channel 9

The Beaumont Children

Julie Garciacelay’s 1975 Disappearance: A 49-Year-Old Mystery

Julie Garciacelay vanished from her North Melbourne flat on July 1, 1975, just days before her 20th birthday. In 2018, a coroner ruled her case a homicide, but her killer and remains remain undiscovered. Thought to be linked to Melbourne’s Easey Street murders, Julie’s case raises questions about overlooked evidence and missed opportunities. As the 50th anniversary nears, her mother still seeks closure. Will new leads emerge? Listen as we uncover the chilling details of this decades-old cold case.