GARDAI have issued descriptions of two men they want to talk to about the disappearance of the Co Kilkenny woman, Ms Josephine Dullard, last November.
The two men are believed to have given Ms Dullard a lift from Castledermot, Co Kildare on the night of November 9th last. She has not been seen since.
Gardai said yesterday the surname of the missing woman, initially reported as Dollard, is Dullard.
The driver of the car is described as being aged 35 years with dark straight hair, parted to one side. He weighs about 11 1/2 stone and is clean shaven with clean hands. He is a smoker.
His male passenger is 35-40 years old with brown hair. He is also clean shaven.
Both men are described as having "nondescript" accents. Investigating gardai said another woman who was in the car, and has supplied the descriptions of the two men, was unable to place their accents.
The car is described as "large, black, with a high back and reasonably new". It travelled from Castledermot to Carlow town and may have continued to Waterford.
Any one with information is asked to contact the Garda at Baltinglass on 0508-81860 or the Garda confidential line on 1 800 666 111.
The woman who has supplied descriptions has given the Garda the first breakthrough in the case since Ms Dullard's disappearance.
Ms Dullard had been making her way from Dublin to her home in Callan, Co Kilkenny. She had been in Dublin collecting two week's social welfare payments on November 9th and had planned to return home directly by bus the same day. However, she had stayed drinking in a pub in Dublin with friends, missed the bus, and took a later one as far as Naas instead. From there she hitched as far as Moone, Co Kildare and called a friend from a telephone box, telling her she was having difficulty stopping any cars.
During the call she left the box to flag down a car and returned to the telephone box to say she had been offered a lift.
An eyewitness later said she saw Ms Dullard walking towards a dark coloured Toyota Carina car which had stopped at the side of the road at Moone, at about 11.40 p.m. that night.
The back door of the car had been opened, suggesting the front passenger seat was already occupied.
A woman fitting Ms Dullard's description was later seen walking through Castledermot at about midnight.
The woman who has now come forward has told gardai that she was in a car which picked up Ms Dullard on that night. She said she had taken a lift in the car, which was occupied by two men. She said the car had travelled to Carlow but she had got out and left Ms Dullard in the company of the two men. She was unable to say what had happened afterwards but she believed the driver of the car may have said he would be continuing to Waterford.