And yet for all the attention that the Kerry babies scandal attracted in the 1980s, in the intervening period there was little detailed inquiry into who actually killed the child - once the initial, catastrophically botched investigation into the case was over.
That was until Supt Murphy reopened the investigation into the murder amid no little fanfare and some controversy in the surrounding areas last year.
While there is some scepticism in the area that the truth will emerge, and a veil of silence still lies over the locality, Murphy said he was hopeful that the mystery of what happened to Baby John will be solved.
A €2.5m settlement has been proposed to end the 1984 Kerry Babies saga.
The State has proposed paying €2.5m in compensation to the Hayes family for suffering and mental trauma after their treatment by State agents in relation to the Kerry Babies controversy over 36 years ago.
The controversy erupted when a newborn baby boy – later dubbed ‘Baby John’ – was discovered washed up at White Strand in Kerry on April 14, 1984.
The infant had died from severe skull and spinal injuries. He had also been stabbed multiple times.
Joanne Hayes, who was known to have been pregnant, was later arrested by gardaí but a judge subsequently dismissed the charge against her.
âSuperfecundationâ theory
The confessions were all later withdrawn when Ms Hayes told gardaà she had, in fact, given birth to a baby boy â she named Shane â that was buried on the family farm around the same time as the discovery at Cahersiveen.
Dr John Harbison, then State pathologist, was unable to determine if this baby was still-born or died shortly after his birth.
Although gardaà could not initially find the babyâs remains, when they did so, they then claimed Ms Hayes had had twins. But tests showed the two babies had different blood types.
In a bizarre further twist to the scandal, investigators then came up with a theory of âsuperfecundationâ â that the âtwinsâ were conceived by two different men, explaining the two different blood groups.
Joanne Hayes and her family are seeking a court order that would see the entire report of the notorious Kerry Babies Tribunal censured.
Last week Ms Hayes - the woman wrongly accused of murdering the infant whose remains were found at White Strand near Cahersiveen on April 14, 1984, sparking the Kerry Babies saga - sought a High Court order declaring the findings of the subsequent tribunal were unfounded and incorrect.
In January 2018 Gardaí issued an unreserved apology to Ms Hayes and her family for the treatment they received at the hands of gardaí during the 1984 investigation.
Then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar subsequently issued a formal apology to Ms Hayes and her family on behalf of the State, which is currently negotiating a compensation deal with the family.