‘Locals are afraid... they won’t rest till killer is caught’
FEAR and shock gripped the community of Leixlip last night, as residents came to terms with the brutal killing of 14-year-old schoolgirl Anastasia ‘Ana’ Kriegel.
As the details of her murder filtered through the town, locals said they were extremely worried about the prospect of a killer on the loose.
Social Democrat TD for the area, Catherine Murphy told the Irish Daily Mail that parents in the area would not feel safe until Ana’s killer is caught. ‘People with children are genuinely afraid. This is something that is so out of the ordinary,’ she said.
‘It seems almost like something you would see on the television.’ She appealed for anyone with information about the case to go to gardaí to help ‘solve this crime as quickly as possible’ and put the minds of residents at ease.
‘It’s a well-established community that would be very supportive in this situation, but other than giving support, people are just worried.
‘They’re afraid for their own children. It’s really important this is solved quickly.’
Ms Murphy, who is a close friend of the Kriegel family, said that they were ‘very distressed’, and asked for them to be given privacy.
‘The guards are with them constantly and they’ll be updating them as the information becomes available. The information that they’ll be getting is very hard for them to hear.’
A heavy sense of grief hung over the Co. Kildare town yesterday, as people remained in disbelief that this violent incident took place on their doorstep.
One resident of Glendale Meadows, a housing estate beside St Catherine’s Park where Ana was last seen alive, said that the 200acre site was a popular hang-out spot for young people. ‘St Catherine’s Park is frequented very often with walkers and so on,’ she said.
However, the park was an almost empty, bleak site yesterday, as locals appeared reluctant to enjoy the sunshine so close to where Ana spent her final hours.
Meanwhile, Confey College, the secondary school where Ana was a pupil, issued a statement on her death.
‘We learned yesterday afternoon of the death of Anastasia Kriegel. ‘May she Rest in Peace,’ they wrote on their website. ‘This is a terrible tragedy for the Kriegel family, our school and our community.’
A tribute was also made by Dance LA, a local dance school which Ana attended. ‘Ana was a talented young student who was with us for many years,’ the group posted on Facebook. ‘Her passing is as tragic as it is shocking.’