In this episode of Lines of Enquiry: Case Notes, retired Detective Superintendent Frank Keenaghan takes us inside one of the most shocking cases in recent Irish history, the abduction and murder of 24 year old student Jastine Valdez.

Frank led the frantic 24 hour search in May 2018, from the first early morning briefing to the moment a member of the public spotted the suspect’s car, and the dramatic scene where Mark Hennessy was shot by gardaí.

Frank explains the race against time in a live abduction, the critical decision to release the suspect car’s registration to the public, and how small details, including a blood soaked note and a single guard’s instinct on a Wicklow hillside, ultimately led to finding Jastine’s body.

Drawing on 40 years in An Garda Síochána, he reflects on the emotional toll of cases like this, the importance of public cooperation, and why gut instinct still matters alongside procedure and forensics.

In this episode of Lines of Enquiry: Case Notes, renowned courtroom artist Mike O’Donnell takes us inside the hidden world of Ireland’s criminal courts as seen from his sketchpad. In his day to day, Mike sits just feet away from judges, juries, gardaí, families and some of the country’s most high profile defendants, capturing not only the people in the dock but the tension, emotion and fragile humanity of the courtroom itself.

He explains how he became Ireland’s first full time professional courtroom artist, and how his process has developed over the years, moving to ink and learning what exactly to look for when trying to distill an entire trial into a single image.

Mike reflects on what it is like to sit behind some of Ireland’s most notorious figures and study them at close range, from a Bible waving Enoch Burke to Conor McGregor losing his temper, and even having tart and tea with Gerry Hutch as he draws him in his home. He shares what years of observing faces in murder trials, gangland prosecutions and other high stakes cases have taught him about the best and worst of human nature.

In this episode of Lines of Enquiry: Case Notes, former Garda Detective Sergeant Alan Bailey takes us inside the hidden world of cold case investigation. With more than 200 unsolved homicides sitting on the desks of just eight detectives, he explains how and why an investigation goes cold, what it takes to justify reopening a case, and why there is always still hope.

Alan talks through some of the most significant cases he worked on, including the murder of Nora Sheehan. He reflects on the impact of modern forensics and the importance of preserving evidence, that allowed this case to be solve four decades after it happened.

Having been a lead detective on Ireland’s most prolific missing women cases, which became known as the Vanishing Triangle, Alan shares the immense challenges of working on cases with no suspect, and sometimes no body. After searches for some of these women began again recently, he shares what it takes to trigger new digs and how seemingly minor details can suddenly become pivotal.