Irish Daily Mirror

DRUGGED, RAPED AND DUMPED

Gardai search house where they believe two men attacked 29yr-old Giedre

- BY NIALL O’CONNOR and ELAINE KEOGH

A MISSING woman was drugged, raped and killed and her body dumped, gardai believe.

Detectives yesterday searched a house in Laytown, Co Meath, for 29-year-old Giedre Raguckaite. She was last seen in the area at 11pm on May 29 with two men.

It is suspected the pair took Giedre from the property in a stolen car before ditching her body.

A source said: “This girl met a violent death.”

A WOMAN who came to Ireland to start a new life ended up drugged, sexually assaulted and murdered, gardai believe.

It is thought Giedre Raguckaite, 29, was then dumped from a jeep by two men suspected of coming from her native Lithuania. Her body is still missing.

Gardai yesterday searched a house in Laytown, Co Meath, for Ms Raguckaite, who was last seen on May 29.

It’s believed she was drugged, carried unconsciou­s into the property and put into an ice bath to revive her.

Witnesses have provided gardai with crucial informatio­n on what allegedly happened in the house, the Irish Mirror has learned.

They claim she was taken from the bath and placed on a bed, where she was reportedly raped.

Two men then took her from the bungalow in a stolen Toyota Land Cruiser and ditched her body.

It’s not known if she was killed in the house or just before her body was dumped.

A source said: “This poor girl is understood to have met a violent death. Gardai have two suspects and are following a definite line of inquiry. She was a vulnerable girl.

SUSPECTS

“She was taken advantage of by these two suspects. One of the men is a serious criminal involved in internatio­nal organised crime and is in jail here for another offence.”

The family renting the property now have been unwittingl­y caught up in the horror case.

They have no connection to the alleged events and are not suspects.

It’s believed Ms Raguckaite arrived in Ireland in April to seek work.

At this stage there is no indication she was a victim of human traffickin­g.

She was reported missing to gardai on behalf of her family by a member of the Lithuanian community living in Dundalk, Co Louth, on August 22.

Her last known address was in the College Heights estate in the town but she moved out on May 23.

What she did over the next six days is crucial to the investigat­ion.

In an appeal for informatio­n yesterday, Supt Gerry Curley said the last sighting of Ms Raguckaite was in the company of two men at a house in the Beach Grove estate in Laytown at around 11pm on May 29.

He added: “We are concerned at the condition she was in at that stage when she was taken into the house. Giedre was not seen leaving the house but we are satisfied she left the house and the other two males left the house in the early hours of the May 30, 2018. She has not been seen since.”

The Garda Technical Bureau carried out an examinatio­n of the property yesterday. The two Lithuanian men she was seen with have both been interviewe­d by gardai.

The garda said Ms Raguckaite had always maintained regular contact with her family and friends.

Supt Curley added: “We believe her disappeara­nce is involuntar­y and we are seeking assistance from the public, particular­ly the Lithuanian community. We believe she may have been staying in the Dundalk area with some other people during that period.

“We are very anxious to talk to anybody who provided accommodat­ion for Giedre during that period of May 23 to 29 or anybody who has any knowledge of her whereabout­s.” An incident room was set up under Detective Insp Martin Beggy and inquiries resulted in the investigat­ion being declared a murder last week.

A Garda family liaison officer has been appointed. Since the morning of May 30, Ms Raguckaite’s phone and

This poor vulnerable girl is understood to have met a violent end

SOURCE

YESTERDAY

social media accounts have not been used. Gardai have carried out more than 170 lines of inquiry – including liaising with the PSNI, UK police forces, Interpol, the Lithuanian Police Force and the Lithuanian embassy.

Ms Raguckaite moved to Ireland from England to look for work but has no relations here. Her mother is dead and her last contact with her family was a phone call to her 58-year-old father in Lithuania at 6.35pm on May 29. She has two sisters who live in Italy and Cyprus.

Ms Raguckaite’s childhood friend Gedvile Hibner yesterday begged those responsibl­e “to guide us to where the body is”. She said: “I hope these vile creatures will be punished for the rest of their lives.”

Gardai have appealed to anyone with informatio­n to contact them in Dundalk on 042 9388400, the Garda Confidenti­al Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

 ??  ?? MYSTERY Giedre Raguckaite
MYSTERY Giedre Raguckaite
 ??  ?? APPEAL Supt Gerry Curley yesterday FEARSGiedr­e Raguckaite was last seen in May
APPEAL Supt Gerry Curley yesterday FEARSGiedr­e Raguckaite was last seen in May
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