The former head of the Garda cold case unit has said he hopes people "do not lose sight of the sheer brutality inflicted on Baby John", the Kerry baby who was murdered more than 40 years ago. He was named Baby John by the local undertaker at the time. Advances in DNA profiling then confirmed Ms Hayes, as she always maintained, was not Baby John’s mother. In 2018, then-taoiseach Leo Varadkar, justice minister Charlie Flanagan and An Garda Síochána apologised to Ms Hayes. “But Baby John has never left my mind.

Source: Irish Examiner April 06, 2026 13:50 UTC