We, the Plunkett family, are campaigning to open a cold case review into the murder of our beloved sister, Elizabeth.

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Elizabeth was a vibrant young woman with her whole life ahead of her. On the last weekend of the summer in 1976, she set off for a carefree evening with friends at Brittas Bay in Co.Wicklow. Tragically, she never returned home. Elizabeth became the first victim of Ireland's notorious serial killers, John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, who were evading justice for crimes committed in the UK.

The story of Elizabeth's cruel and untimely death haunts us. Shaw and Evans were predatory criminals on the run, seeking refuge in Ireland while hiding from rape charges in the UK. On August 28th, 1976, their activities escalated to brutal murder. Elizabeth's life was stolen when Shaw and Evans forced her into a car and took her to a nearby woodland where they brutally raped her and murdered her. 23 year old Mary Duffy was also tragically murdered by the two men just a few weeks later in Co. Galway.  

These two men later confessed to their heinous crimes, admitting to the gruesome murder that shattered our family. Despite this, we, the Plunkett family, only recently discovered to our horror that neither men were ever convicted of the murder of Elizabeth.

Both Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw were convicted of the abduction, rape and murder of Mary Duffy - but nobody has ever been held to account for the murder of Elizabeth. 

Geoffrey Evans died in prison in 2012. John Shaw is the state's longest serving prisoner and he is now seeking parole. However, because he was never convicted of murdering Elizabeth, we as a family we have no right to be included in the parole process. Legally we are not regarded as 'relevant victims'.

We now call upon An Garda Síochána to instigate a cold case review to re-examine the case of Elizabeth Plunkett; to include new information that has come to light since we told our story through the brilliant RTÉ podcast Stolen Sister and to send forward a new investigation file to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

We urge the DPP to put John Shaw forward for trial on the charges that were brought against him but never concluded - the abduction, rape and murder of our sister Elizabeth. 

We also call upon the DPP to explain to our family why they entered a nolle prosequi in respect of the charges against John Shaw in 1978.

Further, we call upon Minister of Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, to review the Parole Act legislation to include victims as defined by the Victims of Crime Act (2017), thereby ensuring  that families like ours are not excluded from the parole process.   

The pain of Elizabeth's murder remains raw and the sense of injustice, profound. We demand that her story is not forgotten and that justice prevails. It is crucial that we remember Elizabeth not simply as a victim of crime, but as our vibrant, beautiful sister whose life was cut short by senseless violence.

We urge you to sign this petition to help get justice for Elizabeth Plunkett and to stand against the indifference that accompanies unresolved cases.

Help keep Elizabeth’s memory alive and demand a justice system that leaves no victim behind. Sign this petition today to drive change and honour the lives taken too soon.

Thank you,

Eddie, Joan, Liam, Thomas, Bernie and Kathleen (siblings of Elizabeth Plunkett)