Murder of Nora Sheehan in 1981

Murder of Nora Sheehan in 1981: a cold case review and advances in technology help secure conviction forty years after her death.

As part of the Serious Crime review process, the death of Nora Sheehan in 1981 in Cork was re-examined to assist in bringing a suspect to court, forty years after the event. Nora Sheehan was last seen alive on the 6th of June 1981 when she left South Infirmary Hospital Cork. Her body was discovered in undergrowth at Shippool Woods, Co. Cork six days later. It is believed that she had been transported in a vehicle to this location. In 1981, Noel Long was a nominated suspect for this incident and was seen in the area at the time of her disappearance. At the time, several locations including Noel Long’s car, were technically examined. Paint samples, fibre lifts and a wooden toolbox were recovered from the car. Although examinations were carried out and reports issued in 1981 from FSI scientists, a prosecution was never pursued.

In 2022, the examination of fibre and paint samples was repeated and where applicable, new technologies applied to determine whether fibres and paint found on Nora Sheehan’s clothing matched the fibres and paint from Noel Long’s car. These examination confirmed the findings of the original reports and assisted in providing a weight to the significance of the findings, given what was alleged. Overall, the trace evidence findings offered very strong support for the view that Nora Sheehan was in Noel Long’s motorcar rather than she was not.

A partial DNA profile was obtained from semen found on Nora Sheehan’s body that matched that found on Noel Longs clothing taken in 2021. In 2023, Noel Long was convicted by a unanimous Jury decision and as it stands is the oldest murder prosecution in Irish History.