A sinister, disturbing handwritten letter arrives into Garda HQ. It has been sent anonymously to a school in the midlands. There are 23 pages, promising terrible crimes to come, and detailing the writer’s twisted plans to abduct and kill teenage girls.

Soon after, two more arrive – again sent to schools across the Irish midlands. Gardai then realise this is not their first encounter with the anonymous writer, as they discover records of a strange hideout found in the woods in Offaly many years ago. More letters arrive, sent to Garda stations and found by members of the public.

Fear spreads as the writer goes further and begins naming potential targets, all teenage girls at a local Offaly school. Gardai now face a race against time to find him, before he can put his evil plans into action.

As part of our launch week of Lines of Enquiry we are releasing two episodes this week, including this one. From next week we will release weekly, every Tuesday morning.

Presented by John Sweetman

Created by Darren Cleary

Episode Written by Eoin Brennan, Siobhan Maguire and John Sweetman

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Produced by Siobhan Walsh

Assistant Produced by Siobhan Maguire

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh

Episode Edited by Eoin Brennan

Editing support by Ed Smith

Marketing support by Bríd Walsh and Roisin Reilly

Social support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Artwork and graphics by Eric Rowntree

When 27-year-old Mary Gough was found dead in her home in Balbriggan in 2001, it looked like a tragic accident. Gardaí were called to what appeared to be a fall down the stairs.

But as investigators examined the scene, small details began to raise doubts, marks that didn’t fit, timelines that didn’t match, and a story that started to change.

In this episode, former Garda forensic detective John Sweetman revisits the case, piece by piece, to uncover how investigators learned that what looked like a household accident was, in fact, something far more sinister.

Presented by John Sweetman

Created by Darren Cleary

Executive Produced by Eoin Brennan

Executive Produced by Ruth Fitzsimons

Produced by Siobhan Walsh

Assistant Produced by Siobhan Maguire

Sound Design and Editing by Neil Kavanagh

Editing support by Ed Smith

Marketing support by Bríd Walsh and Roisin Reilly

Social support by Mark Hayes and Robyn Ree

Episode Written by Darren Cleary

Episode Edited by Eoin Brennan

Artwork and graphics by Eric Rowntree