THE SEARCH FOR missing teen Chloe Kinsella started again at 9.30 this morning with coordinators calling for more volunteers join them. Trailing dogs who had been brought in over the last number of days have been stepped down as the trail ran cold.
The 15-year-old has been missing from her home in Kileely, in Limerick, since Saturday evening. There have been no sightings of her since then and she has made no contact with family members who are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare.
Glen Barton of Irish Search Dogs, a voluntary group that has been involved in other missing person searches in Limerick, said they were called in on Tuesday evening.
Two different types of dogs were used in the search – air scenting dogs and bloodhounds, who were given an item of the teen’s clothing to help them follow her trail. It is believed that the teen exited her house through her bedroom window and a garda source told TheJournal.ie that she left her phone and her purse behind.
Following the trail
“We started from the house with both dogs following the same trail and that was confirmed by the family and witnesses as the route she started taking,” Barton said.
The dogs would have shown interest around the water’s edge but we were told that Chloe would have frequented that area anyway so we couldn’t say for definite that this was part of the trail, seemingly it was an area she used to hang around in with friends.
Barton said that the search was inconclusive but findings had been handed over to gardaí to assist them in their investigation and added that his team was ready to go back in if they were needed at any time.
River search
Local Coast Guard units have been searching the River Shannon for any trace of the girl while gardaí coordinate a land search.
A spokesperson for Killalow Coast Guard said this morning that there was nothing to report but they will have “people in the water searching all day” for the teenager.
Last night a candelit vigil was held in Kileely for the 15-year-old and a Facebook page set up to help spread the word urged volunteers to join the search which started again at 9.30am today.
(Image: Help Find Chloe Kinsella/Facebook)
A formal appeal issued by gardaí earlier this week described the youth as 5 ft 3″ tall, of slim build, long hair and blue eyes. When last seen on Saturday at 7pm she was wearing a white t-shirt with a skull motif, shorts and black tights. However, she may have changed into a pink pyjama bottoms, a pink hoody and black Ugg boots.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Mayorstone Garda Station on 061 456 980 or the Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
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