Who was Dolores McCrea?
DOLORES McCREA was last seen in January 2004, with her estranged husband Gary convicted of her murder the following year.
Dolores had left Gary after accusations of abuse, but she was unable to escape to safety.
Who was Dolores McCrea?
Dolores was a 39-year old mother-of-four who went missing from County Donegal, Ireland in January 2004.
A community fundraiser and devoted mother, she left the family home and moved into a flat with her four daughters in 2003.
Dolores was attempting to escape from her allegedly abusive, jealous and controlling husband Gary.
She took on two jobs, working part time in local pubs to support herself and her daughters.
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After Dolores left, Gary is said to have become obsessive and jealous, even telling family and friends that he would kill her.
What happened to Dolores McCrea?
Dolores went to see her estranged husband to sell him her old car before heading to a meeting with her darts team on January 20, 2004.
But she never made it to meet her darts team.
The prosecution argued that Gary murdered her and disposed of her body in a fire in the back garden of the family home.
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Dolores’ daughters realised something was wrong when she was not there to take them to school on January 21, 2004.
Eventually a police search of the home which Gary and Dolores had shared revealed that bones had been burnt in a fire in the garden.
Forensic examination of the bones couldn’t link them to Dolores because they had been so badly burnt, but a forensic dentist did link the burnt teeth to her dental records.
In 2005 Gary was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife.
Gary pleaded not guilty and appealed his sentence in 2007 – this request was denied.
When is Murder My Sweetheart: The Killing Of Dolores McCrea on Channel 5?
The story of Dolores’ murder will be told through a new documentary on Channel 5.
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Murder My Sweetheart: The Killing Of Dolores McCrea will be broadcast at 9pm on Thursday, March 24, 2022.
The documentary will feature interviews with family members and detectives.