For Teresita and Danilo Valdez, their only child, Justin, was their greatest treasure—a singular diamond they meticulously cared for and protected.

The couple sacrificed greatly, working overseas to save enough to eventually bring Justin to Ireland, where she would attend college and secure a better future alongside them.

Tragically, Justin Valdez’s journey to Ireland did not end in graduation; it ended in a secluded, overgrown area near Fox Castle.

Her de@d body was found there, leaving behind a haunting mystery: what happened to Justin Valdez, and who was the heartless individual who caused the loss of the young Filipina’s life?

The Last Journey Home

Justin Valdez was born in 1993 in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya. She spent her younger years under the care of her grandmother while her parents worked in Ireland.

After graduating high school from St. Rita Academy, Justin was finally able to join her parents in Ireland in 2015, settling in the small town of Enniskerry in Wicklow, not far from Dublin.

She quickly adapted, enrolling in accountancy at Tallaght Technical University in Dublin.

Despite her parents’ financial capability, Justin was determined to contribute, working part-time as a care worker and as a crew member at a bakery in Bray.

May 19, 2018, was a Saturday. Justin attended to an appointment concerning her residency permit at the Bray police station before heading to the gym at Cherrywood Business Park in South Dublin.

As was routine, Justin kept in constant contact with her mother, Teresita, throughout the day via Messenger, exchanging 63 messages that afternoon.

One of the last messages Teresita sent was an instruction to buy bread before coming home.

Shortly after 6:00 PM, the police received a call concerning an abduction. A woman was seen being forcibly taken into a black Nissan SUV by a man on the R760 road near Enniskerry.

Officers quickly responded to the scene, finding evidence that confirmed the report: a shattered mobile phone and a plastic bag containing the bread Justin’s mother had asked her to buy.

Witness Susan Fox reported seeing a black Nissan SUV stop abruptly in the middle of the road without its hazard lights on.

She watched as a man got out and forced a struggling young woman into the back seat, hearing her screams before the vehicle sped away.

Ten minutes later, another witness, Garrett Thomson, called the police, reporting a black Nissan SUV on the N11 highway.

He saw a young woman in the back seat raising her hands, signaling desperately for help through the window.

Police immediately launched a massive hot pursuit operation, deploying helicopters in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the black Nissan SUV.

The identity of the abducted woman remained a mystery until 11:00 PM, when police received a call about the missing Justin Valdez.

Her description matched the witnesses’ accounts, and the location of the abduction was on Justin’s route home, strongly suggesting the two cases were connected.

The Suspect and the Standoff

Investigators quickly analyzed CCTV footage from the area and successfully traced the license plate number—171 D 20419—to a black Nissan SUV registered to Nicole Hennessy, who lived in Bray.

Police interviewed Nicole, who confirmed the vehicle was driven by her husband, Mark Hennessy (41), a banksman (traffic signaler) at construction sites.

Nicole stated that Mark had left for work early on May 19 and returned around 3:00 PM, only to leave again around 5:00 PM, claiming he was going to a local pub. He never returned home.

She also disclosed that Mark was heavily in debt and had issues with substance use, having a prior conviction for driving under the influence.

The Irish police immediately called a press conference, appealing to the public for help, sharing images of Justin, the black Nissan SUV, and Mark Hennessy.

The public response was overwhelming. Christina Connelly called police after spotting a black Nissan SUV matching the description at the Cherrywood Business Park, an industrial estate.

She followed the vehicle while calling the police, who quickly arrived at the scene.

Officers ordered Mark Hennessy to surrender. Instead, witnesses saw him take out a knife and self-inflict wounds on his arm.

Fearing for the safety of the abducted young woman, police opened fire, fatally wounding Hennessy in the he@d.

Officers immediately searched the SUV but failed to find Justin. Paramedics attempted to revive Hennessy, urging him to reveal Justin’s location, but he remained unresponsive and was pronounced de@d on arrival at the hospital.

The Tragic Discovery

Forensic investigation of the Nissan SUV revealed a piece of paper with bloodstains, containing only two legible words: “Sorry” and “Pux.”

This cryptic note and the area where Hennessy was apprehended narrowed the search area to the vicinity of Fox Castle, a 16th-century tower surrounded by dense woods and gorse bushes.

On the morning of Monday, May 21, the search began in earnest, involving police, family, friends, helicopters, dogs, and members of the Defense Forces.

Justin’s wallet and ID were first discovered near a golf club in Rathmichael, followed by her handbag.

At 3:45 PM, Justin’s de@d body was tragically found beneath thick gorse—a dense European scrub—in the remote area.

Dr. Linda Mulligan, the pathologist who performed the post-mortem examination, determined the cause of Justin’s de@th was asphyxia by manual compression of the neck (strangulation).

The examination indicated she had succumbed to her injuries on the night of Saturday, May 19. Furthermore, bruises and blunt force trauma were found around her thighs and genital area.

Toxicology reports confirmed that Justin had ingested an illicit substance hours before her de@th.

As the suspect was de@d, the exact sequence of events remains unresolved, but police attempted to piece together the tragic timeline.

They theorized that after leaving his house, Mark Hennessy went to a pub, but instead of drinking, he followed Justin from the gym, tailing her bus in his Nissan SUV.

When she disembarked, he abducted her, driving her to the secluded area near Fox Castle, where he forced her to consume the substance, sexually assaulted her, and caused her tragic loss of life by manual compression of the neck.

He was then seen returning to the pub briefly before driving to the business park where the police standoff occurred.

Justin’s body was repatriated to the Philippines, where she was laid to rest in her hometown.

In the wake of their daughter’s agonizing de@th, Teresita and Danilo Valdez abandoned Ireland forever.

The country, which once held their greatest hope for their daughter, had become an unbearable reminder of their devastating loss.