Gardaí investigating the murder of Sheola Keaney (19) in Cobh, Co Cork, are awaiting the results of DNA and other forensic tests before deciding what action they should take.
Officers leading the investigation into the killing in the harbour town have stressed that they are following a number of lines of inquiry.
They are keen to play down reports that an arrest is imminent.
However, The Irish Times understands that gardaí are confident that samples taken from Ms Keaney's body during a postmortem and at the crime scene will help identify her killer.
It is expected that the results of the samples will become available to gardaí within the next 48 hours.
Senior officers will then make a decision on what course their investigation should take.
The Irish Times has also learned that Garda technical experts have taken a plaster cast of a footprint found near the body.
They are also studying CCTV video footage taken from a disco that Ms Keaney attended in Cobh on Thursday night.
However, gardaí are still unclear as to what exactly happened in the early hours of Friday morning. Because of this they have renewed their appeal to anyone who saw anything unusual in the Newtown area of Cobh during that time to contact them on 021-4908530.
Meanwhile hundreds of mourners paid their last respects to Ms Keaney at her removal yesterday evening. Her remains were brought to St Colman's Cathedral.
She will be buried in St Colman's Cemetery, Cobh, today following Requiem Mass at 2pm.
Ms Keaney, who is survived by her parents Peter and Carol, had lived with her father at Elm Park, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, before moving back to Cobh two years ago to live with her mother at Glenanaar Place.
Ms Keaney's page on the Bebo website was inundated with messages from friends and young people who had never met her but had read about her on her Bebo site and heard about her death.
Among the messages was one from her friend Ali Madigan.
"Sheols, you will be missed, the town will be too quiet without you, rest in peace sweetheart, love, Ali."
Another friend, Amy Dempsey, wrote: "Hi my darling Sheola, I am going to miss you so much, you were my best friend in the whole world.
"No one will ever replace you - you're gone to a much better place and I know you will always be looking down on us."
