SHOCK new YouTube allegations that Antoinette Smith was raped three weeks before she was murdered are being probed by cops — after her daughters flagged them.
The Irish Sun on Sunday can also reveal detectives are looking into claims the mum of two was stalked in the days before the last confirmed sighting of her walking by the Gresham Hotel on Dublin’s O’Connell Street after 2am on July 11, 1987.
Antoinette Smith’s murder remains unsolved after 38 years[/caption]
The 27-year-old’s remains were found nine months later at the foot of the Glendoo Mountain in Co Wicklow on April 3, 1988.
Although Gardai have conducted more than 1,000 lines of inquiry over the last 38 years, nobody has ever been arrested nor a prime suspect identified.
The new claims — made in a YouTube video — are being analysed after they were raised by Antoinette’s daughters Rachel, 42, and Lisa, 45.
According to the sensational allegations, Antoinette told one friend that she had been raped in Dublin’s Phoenix Park by a man who had given her a lift home from a city centre nightclub.
And it was also claimed she told a pal she was being stalked by a man she spotted in a bar in south Dublin.
Investigators at Bray Garda Station are now working to identify the user who posted the new information.
Speaking exclusively to us on the 38th anniversary of her mother’s murder, Rachel described the new allegations as “horrific”.
She said: “These new allegations surrounding the weeks before my mother disappeared are shocking — we just want the truth.
“The information that has been posted on social media is very sensitive and something we have never heard before.
“We have raised this information with the Gardai and it’s incumbent on them to establish whether it is accurate or not.
“They should also be able to identify the person who produced this video and then ask them if they have any information which can assist their inquiry.
“They have posted a lot of information and it looks to me as if it has been done by someone who had access to the case files.”
Rachel added: “If there is anyone out there who has other information similar to these allegations then I would ask them to come forward.
“My mother was a single mother of two who did not deserve to lose her life in the manner that she did. My sister Lisa and I are her voice now and will not stop fighting for justice.
“It’s hard to believe that 38 years have passed and no one has been held accountable for taking the life of a devoted mother who had everything to live for.”
We just want justice for a young mother who went out to a concert and never came home to her kids.”
Antoinette’s daughter Lisa
The Irish Sun on Sunday can also reveal that the murder victim’s daughters met with Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan about their fight for justice in May.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed the meeting had taken place.
The spokesperson added: “Minister O’Callaghan met with the family of Antoinette Smith on May 14. By law, the Minister cannot intervene in criminal investigations.
“He encouraged the family to remain in contact with An Garda Siochana as they will be best placed to assist with their queries.
“The investigation into the murder of Antoinette Smith is ongoing and developments will be reported in due course by An Garda Siochana.”
PLEA TO RETEST REMAINING EXHIBITS
Rachel’s sister Lisa also told how her family “just want closure” after 38 years of pain.
She said: “We just want justice for a young mother who went out to a concert and never came home to her kids. As a society we seem to have become desensitised against the murder of women and this is concerning.
“The State failed my mother in life and they have failed her in death because no one has been held to account for taking the life of a young mother and traumatising her children for almost 40 years.
“It is up to us to keep her memory alive and I trust these allegations which have been made are thoroughly investigated.”
As the family’s fight for justice continues, the case is constantly under review by the investigation team at Bray Garda Station.
A number of exhibits, including two plastic bags placed around Antoinette’s head, have gone missing.
But Rachel believes all remaining exhibits in the case should be sent away for retesting.
She added: “I see no reason why the current exhibits can’t be retested again. The advances in technology have been amazing.”
Anyone with info can contact Bray Garda Station on 01 666 5300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
