Teenagers give phones to gardai hunting Cameron’s killer
Maeve Sheehan TEENAGERS who were drinking with student Cameron Reilly in the hours before he was killed have handed in their mobile phones to be examined by gardai investigating his murder. They are among a group of up to 20 youngsters who were with Cameron the night before the 18-year-old’s body was discovered in a field in Dunleer, Co Louth.
He had been beaten and strangled.
The group had been drinking and playing music at that spot until after midnight. Many of the youths have volunteered their devices to detectives so photos, videos, texts or WhatsApp messages exchanged on the night can be examined, a source said.
Detectives hope the phones will help piece together Cameron’s last movements.
They will also be looking for evidence of any disagreements that may have occurred in the hours before he was killed, and the identity of who was last in his company.
Gardai believe they have spoken to most of the young people who were with Cameron on the night of his murder but others have yet to come forward.
Yesterday, two sites near the teenager’s home were sealed off as part of a largescale operation to find Cam- eron’s iPhone, which may hold vital information.
Army units, the Coast Guard and Civil Defence mounted a painstaking search using machinery and hand tools to clear undergrowth.
“The phone is obviously important because someone thought it necessary to take it from him,” said one source.
Hundreds of people turned out to pay respects in Dunleer yesterday. Cameron will be buried tomorrow, following Mass at St Brigid’s Church.
ARMY units and Coast Guard personnel were drafted in yesterday to help in the search for evidence as gardai in Louth continue to piece together the events that led to the brutal murder of 18-year-old Cameron Reilly.
Two sites near the teenager’s home in Dunleer were sealed off as part of a largescale operation.
Gardai hope their efforts will recover the teenager’s mobile phone which may hold the key to his last hours.
They believe this key piece of evidence will help direct them towards the teenager’s killer.
Machinery was being used at a field behind an industrial estate close to where his body was found last weekend.
This site has been the focus of significant Garda activity towards the end of last week.
Cameron’s body was discovered last Saturday and a post-mortem examination disclosed catastrophic neck injuries.
Five army units were cutting grass and some overgrown woodland as they helped with the search.
They were joined by the Garda Water Unit who were conducting a simultaneous operation in a reservoir in the field where they believe his phone may have been cast away as part of an attempt to conceal evidence.
This reservoir had been drained earlier last week to facilitate the Garda search efforts.
A short distance away, in a field behind the local primary school, Army and Coast Guard personnel were joined by members of the Civil De- fence as they combed the ground with slash hooks and strimmers as part of a significant operation.
They spent the day in close formation carrying out a grid search in a painstaking operation which also involved machinery.
The search continued as the teenager lay in repose in a funeral home in the village.
Locals began paying their respects shortly after lunch yesterday and Cameron’s remains will be in repose throughout today before his removal to the nearby St Brigid’s Church tomorrow morning for his funeral Mass after it is celebrated at 11am.
Since the murder investigation commenced last week gardai have believed the answer to who was involved in Mr Reilly’s death lies close to the town of Dunleer.
They said they know that up to 20 youths in their late teens and early 20s were socialising in the area before Cameron was killed.
Gardai have already drawn up a list of people they want to question and it is hoped discovering the teenager’s missing mobile phone will help to refine their inquiries.
However, progress has been slow, with gardai last night saying their appeal for information remains in force and some of those young people who could help the investigation have still not come forward.
Inspector John O’Flaherty has requested that home and business owners in Dunleer check their gardens and surrounding areas for the missing phone.
He said wheelie bins and waste skips could also have been used to dispose of the mobile telephone after the murder.