You're listening to the mens rea podcast and this is the story of Nora Sheehan. The Oh, On Tuesday, June 9th, 1981, 23-year-old James Sheehan was at work when he received a disturbing phone call.

On the other end of the line was the man who owned the local shop near his home in Ballyfahan, County Cork.

James had been away on holiday with his wife and in-laws in Owen Ahincher and had been making the hour-long commute to work from the seaside town for the last few days, so he hadn't been home to Ballyfahan since the week before.

The shopkeeper told James that something had happened at home and that he needed to get back quickly as his father James Sr. wanted him.

He left his workplace and rushed back to Ballyfahan, where he found his father in a distressed state.

James Sr. told him that his mother, Nora, had left the family home to attend hospital for a dog bite three days before, and hadn't returned since. There was some age difference between the couple and

while Nora was a fit 54-year-old her husband was a frail man in his late 70s.

At the time it wasn't unusual in Ireland to lack a telephone in the home,

James Sr. had waited helplessly for his wife to return,

before finally going to the local shop for help on the morning of June 9th.

Upon learning of his mother's disappearance, James Jr. took his father to tow her guard station,

where they filed a missing person's report before commencing their own search of

the area. The pair called to all known friends and acquaintances of Nora, asking if anyone had seen her, but nobody had.

Nora was born and raised in the tiny rural village of Crookstown County Cork, but had settled in the suburbs of Cork City

after marrying in the 1960s. Having worked as a care assistant in Our Lady's psychiatric hospital,

the mother of three was regarded highly for her kind and gentle disposition, and her chatty nature meant she was well known in the area.

However, she had sustained a head injury in a fall at work a number of years before, which had led to her developing what her family said were, quote, eccentric habits.

This vulnerability amplified the sense of urgency as the search for Nora continued without any success.

Toher Gardi launched a missing person's inquiry, making a public appeal for anyone who had seen

Nore a Sheihin to come forward. Officers established that on the evening of

June 6th, she was bitten on the arm after attempting to stop a fight between two dogs.

The bite was significant and as a result, Nora had made the 30 minute walk to South

...