KILDARE NORTH TD and close personal friend of the Kriegel family Catherine Murphy has paid tribute to murdered Anastasia Kriegel and described her as a confident and well-liked young person.
The body of the 14-year-old was found in an abandoned farmhouse in St Catherine’s Park on the Kildare/Dublin border between Lucan and Leixlip.
She was found with extensive injuries and was partially clothed when gardaí discovered her. Gardaí are now investigating if there was a sexual element to her killing.
She had been missing since Monday evening.
Kildare North TD, Catherine Murphy said Anastasia’s family knew on Monday evening that something was wrong.
Speaking to KFM, Murphy said: “It’s been a terrible week. It would be completely out of character for her not to be in contact. If she was going on a bus she’d text her mam to say ‘I’m at the bus stop’, ‘I’m on the bus’, ‘I’m getting off the bus’. She was a permanent communicator.
“The family knew very early that something was not right. She left home at five and was reported missing at 8 o’clock. The gardaí could not have been better. They deployed every resource.”
Murphy explained how she knew the victim since she was an infant and that there is a sense of fear in the community at the moment, especially among parents.
She added: “I’ve known her since she was a tot. There’s a photo going around of her all dressed up for an event. She was proud of that photo. She was very confident on the stage and doing things like that. I know her as an innocent child. There’s no easy way to say it – what happened to her.
“The family would want anyone with any info to make it available to the gardaí. I think people in the community are afraid. I’d like anyone with information to come forward.”
Gardaí want to hear from anyone who was on the Clonee Road or in St Catherine’s Park from 5pm on Monday. Superintendent John Gordon made a particular plea for anyone who might have dashcam footage from the area.
Anyone with any information is being urged to contact any garda station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
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