ANA, 14 FOUND BEATEN TO DEATH
Teen’s naked body at derelict farmhouse Phone tracking leads gardai to victim
A SCHOOLGIRL missing for three days was found battered to death in a derelict farmhouse yesterday.
Anastasia Kriegel’s naked body was discovered 1km from a park where she was last seen in Lucan, South Dublin.
A source said: “This is the most horrific end to a search.”
Detectives probing the 14-year-old’s disappearance were led to the area by phone tracking technology.
THE search for a missing schoolgirl ended in tragedy yesterday when her beaten and naked body was found in a derelict farmhouse.
Anastasia Kriegel, 14, was last seen in St Catherine’s Park near Lucan, South Dublin, at 5.30pm on Monday.
Gardai carried out extensive searches for the teenager and at 1pm yesterday her body was found inside a disused building on the Clonee Road, where it’s believed the murder took place.
A source said: “This is the most horrific end to a search.
“Her body was found naked, she had sustained a horrific beating.”
Investigators believe there may have been a possible sexual motive to the attack.
It is understood gardai are probing whether Anastasia was in the company of a person she knew in the park before she was murdered.
The source added: “The investigators are establishing who saw her last and gathering CCTV and other forensics to determine this.
“A number of people have already been spoken to in relation to her disappearance and hopefully they may hold the clue – especially the person she was in the park with.
“This was a callous and brutal attack on a young schoolgirl.”
The site of the grim discovery is 1km from the park.
It was sealed off last night and State Pathologist Marie Cassidy attended the scene.
Supt John Gordon, who is leading the investigation, said: “At approximately 1pm we were conducting a search for missing person Anastacia Kreigel, also known as Ana.
“In the course of that search a body was discovered in a disused vacant farmhouse on the Clonee Road in Lucan.
“We believe the body to be that of Ana Kreigel – we are at this time treating the death as suspicious.”
He said: “Ana was 14 years of age, a first-year student at Confey Secondary School in Leixlip [Kildare].
“She was a particularly striking girl, quite tall for her age.
“She was well-known in the school and the community.
“We believe at the time she may not have been alone but at that stage it is part of the investigation.”
Supt Gordon added the young woman’s family were being cared for by specialist Garda liaison officers.
He said: “As you can imagine they are receiving a lot of support from An Garda Siochana – they are extremely distressed.
“They are appealing for public assistance and privacy at this time.
“They have another child in that house so they need to be very careful.”
The officer also outlined how the body of the tragic teen was discovered.
He said: “We have been conducting a number of searches in this area since Tuesday after it [disappearance] was reported to us in Leixlip Garda station on Monday night.
“We started searching in this area at 1.30pm on Tuesday. We had a dedicated search team, water unit because we are surrounded here by the Liffey and the Royal Canal and the civil defence here also.
“It was the Divisional Search team that found Ana’s body.”
Gardai are trying to figure out how the teenager travelled from St Catherine’s Park to the farm house.
Supt Gordon said: “We are examining a number of lines of enquiry.
“There are a number of routes from here to the house which is why we are extending out on to the road as well.
“[We have a] full investigation team, full technical bureau, an incident room and we are receiving assistance from NBCI and external garda agencies.
He said he was awaiting the autopsy report from Prof Cassidy before declaring the incident anything more than a suspicious death.
However, he appealed for information to track down the killer.
Supt Gordon said: “We are appealing to the public for assistance at this time.
“We are appealing to anyone that was in St Catherine’s Park from 5pm on the Clonee Road on Monday, May 14, to contact the Garda incident room at Lucan on 01 6667300.
“The Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or indeed if they contact any Garda station to pass on any information they might have.
“We are particularly interested in
anyone that was on the Clonee Road who might have had dash cam footage or may have witnessed Ana in the park or any information they may have on this.”
County councillor Joe Neville said: “Ana’s family are in all of our thoughts. It is a tragedy for them and for everybody who knew her.
“At this stage all I can say is sincere condolences to the family.
“The park is somewhere people bring their families. It’s a very public place. Anyone who can think back and remember anything is asked to contact gardai.
“It is something that affects all of the community, including her friends and classmates. All sections of the community and her school will do the best to support them.”
Another councillor Kevin Byrne told the Irish Mirror: “I have three daughters and I cannot imagine anything like this happening to one of them.
“It’s absolutely terrible and my complete condolences to the family.
“I know she is foreign so in terms of the funeral and family coming from abroad they should be getting all of the help they need from the State.
“We are actually having a monthly meeting [on Friday] so I am sure it will be brought up then and there will be a moment’s silence.” One local in St Catherine’s Park added: “This area is quiet, unless it’s sunny. But the general area is good. I was shocked when I heard what happened.
“For a 14-year-old it’s brutal. We’re shocked, I also have a seven-year-old and she’s up here playing all the time and the thought of this happening here is terrifying.”
Another local said: “They [gardai] were giving out leaflets here the other day looking for her. I’m shocked, it’s awful to hear something so horrible has happened.
“It’s quiet here and it’s a popular park, we’re not sure how this could have happened.”
This was a callous and brutal attack on a young girl, the most horrific end to a search
SOURCE SOUTH DUBLIN YESTERDAY