What is the episode about?

Elizabeth Plunkett disappeared on August 28, 1976, during a summer outing to Brittas Bay in County Wicklow. In the first episode of the podcast Stolen Sister host Roz Purcell reconstructs the last hours of the 23-year-old woman's life. The young woman from Dublin had gone on a trip with friends and was at McDaniel's pub around 10:30 PM when she left the company after an argument and vanished without a trace. The episode highlights the tragic circumstances of her disappearance and the subsequent revelation that she had fallen into the hands of two of Ireland's most notorious criminals, John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans.

The case behind the episode

The case of Elizabeth Plunkett marked a dark chapter in Irish criminal history, as it later emerged that she was the first victim of the country's first acknowledged serial killers. John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans had just been released from prison in England when they embarked on a violent journey through Ireland. After the murder of Plunkett, they continued their crimes and later murdered Mary Duffy in Mayo. Although both men confessed to the murder of Elizabeth Plunkett and led the police to her body, they were never formally convicted of this specific murder but instead received life sentences for the murder of Mary Duffy and other rapes. This legal loophole is central to the podcast, as it has had significant consequences for the case's legacy and the family's sense of justice.

About the podcast

The podcast Stolen Sister is a production from RTÉ Documentary On One that delves into the overlooked aspects of Shaw and Evans' crimes over six episodes. Host Roz Purcell starts with a current event from 2023, where John Shaw applied for parole. This application shocked Elizabeth Plunkett's family and revealed that the official records did not contain a conviction for Elizabeth's death. The series combines archival material from the 1970s with new interviews with relatives who have fought for decades for Elizabeth's case to be recognized as an official murder with a corresponding conviction.

Listen here

The first episode focuses on the person behind the headlines and gives voice to Elizabeth's family, who wish to honor her memory rather than just focus on the brutality of the perpetrators. The episode can be streamed on RTÉ Radio Player, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. By bringing the case back to light, the podcast raises important questions about how the justice system handles victims in cases where the perpetrator is already serving a life sentence for other crimes.

Related episodes and media

For listeners who want to understand the context of Irish serial murder history, it is recommended to read about the case against Mary Duffy and the subsequent investigation of Shaw and Evans. The case of Elizabeth Plunkett has parallels to other unsolved or poorly convicted cases from 1970s Ireland, which are often covered in RTÉ's extensive documentary archive.

Sources

• RTÉ News: Stolen Sister Podcast Recap
• Irish Independent: The crimes of Shaw and Evans

Reviews

"A gripping tale of Elizabeth Plunkett and the men who became Ireland's first serial killers." — Apple Podcasts (5/5)