Where is Helen McConville now? Whereabouts of Say Nothing subject Jean McConville's daughter explored

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Helen McConville
Helen McConville 's mother Jean, was abducted in 1972 (Image by Kelsey Farish/Unsplash)

Helen McConville is the daughter of Jean McConville, the focus of Josh Zetumer's new nine-part series Say Nothing on Disney+.

Jean McConville, from Ireland, was kidnapped from her residence in 1972. Her lifeless and frigid body was discovered in 2003, years after she had been abducted. She was known to have been murdered by the IRA because they believed she was a British spy. Her family struggled after Jean's passing since they were all left feeling abandoned and heartbroken.

However, Helen being the oldest daughter, took over the care of her younger siblings after her mother's disappearance. At the time of writing this article, Helen McConville is living in Northern Ireland. She is now married and has five children and several grandkids.


"When I came back, the kids were all screaming and shouting, They've taken our mother" - Helen McConville on her mother Jean McConville's abduction

After Helen McConville's father Arthur died in 1972 of cancer, she along with her 9 siblings and mother, lived a lowkey life in Ireland. However as per the Guardian's July 2014 report, on December 7, 1972, 8 men and 4 women came into their house and abducted the matriarch, Jean McConville.

Helen McConville had gone to get groceries when her mother was taken away. Therefore she did not witness her mother’s abduction, or even get a chance to intervene. She hoped for her mother to come back in the coming days, but she never returned. Helen McConville talked about her mother's 1972 abduction to The Guardian and said:

"When I came back, the kids were all screaming and shouting, They've taken our mother! I was out of the house for 20 minutes. When I came back, she was gone. That was the time it took to take her."

As per the report by Belfast Live on November 14, Jean McConville was killed by the IRA, who suspected her to be a secret informant, trespassing knowledge about the republicans to the British army. Jean McConville's body was found in 2003 on the Shelling Hill Beach. Post her body’s discovery it was clear that she died because of a gunshot wound to the back of her head.

After Jean McConville's disappearance, the children suffered. Helen McConville's older brother and sister went to live with their grandparents and the eldest brother Robert was ‘deemed a terror suspect’ as per the report by The Guardian. Meanwhile, Helen, who was 15, at that time, looked after her younger brothers and sisters.

A few days after Jean’s disappearance, a stranger came to Helen McConville and gave her mother's purse back which had three of her mother's rings and 52 P.

Six weeks after Jean's disappearance, when the kids ran out of money and supplies, Helen contacted welfare. After that, the children went to different charity homes. Helen went to Nazareth Lodge, Belfast. In Belfast, Helen met with Seamus McKendry and later married him.


Helen is currently seeking justice for her mother.

Helen's mother, Jean McConville, has not yet received justice to date, because no one has been found guilty of her murder. After her mother was kidnapped and murdered, Helen reportedly planned to sue Sinn Fein, (the Irish political party, regarded as the political wing of the IRA.)

To pay for the legal fees, win the case, and establish her mother's innocence, Helen McConville also launched a crowdfunding in 2022.

She continues to battle for justice to this day, demanding the removal of accusations that her mother was a British spy or informant. According to The Guardian, when asked if she (Helen) feels afraid of the dangers she faces and has faced after her mother's murder, Helen responded:

"No. Not at all. Because if I give up fighting, they've won."

Watch Say Nothing on Disney + to learn more about Jean McConville's disappearance.

Check out Apple TV+'s cutest new show HERE

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Edited by Ameen Fatima
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