Update 5.03pm
GARDAÍ BELIEVE A body found in Lucan, Co Dublin today is that of missing teenager Anastasia Kriegel.
Gardaí have been searching for the missing 14-year-old schoolgirl since Monday.
Her death is being treated as suspicious and a full inquiry, with the resources of a murder investigation, has now been launched. An incident room has been established at Lucan Garda Station.
Gardaí are not commenting further on the nature of the inquiry but there are indications she suffered a violent death.
The discovery was made this afternoon in a disused, vacant farmhouse near the town on the Clonee Road, between Lucan and Clonsilla, during a large-scale search.
Gardaí believe it is that of Anastasia Kriegel, a first-year student in nearby Confey who was last seen in St Catherine’s Park on Monday at 5.30pm.
The scene – a large yard surrounded by disused farm buildings and abandoned houses – is currently preserved pending a full Garda technical examination and the body remains at the scene.
Forensic teams have arrived to the scene which is about a kilometre from St Catherine’s Park. State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy will be attending shortly and searches are taking place.
The yard is situated on the busy Clonee Road outside of Lucan. Investigating gardaí said there are a number of routes from the park to the scene and it’s not yet clear how she got from the park to the farmhouse. It is also not yet clear where she died.
It is believed she may not have been alone while in the park and that information will form part of the investigation.
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.
If the video doesn’t play, click here.
Gardaí told reporters today that Anastasia is well-known in her school and locality, and was described as tall for her age.
Commenting on her family, Superintendent Gordon said: ”As you can imagine they are receiving a lot of support from An Garda Síochána but they are extremely distressed.”
They have appealed for privacy, particularly for the other child in the home.
Anastasia was reported missing at Leixlip Garda Station on Monday night at about 8pm. Gardai began searching this area on Tuesday afternoon. Civil Defence and water units were involved in the search as the area is surrounded by the Liffey and the Royal Canal.
With reporting by Daragh Brophy and Sinéad O’Carroll
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say