Gardai today renewed their appeal for help in solving an eight-year-old brutal and apparently motiveless killing of a teenage girl.
Raonaid Murray was stabbed to death on September 3rd 1999 yards from her home in Dun Laoghaire, o Dublin, as she walked home after a night out in a local bar.
The last possibly sighting of the 17-year-old was with a man a few years older than her, who has never been identified.
Marking the eighth anniversary of the murder, both gardai and the Murray family appealed for any information that may help catch the killer. Detectives said solving the murder, which they have failed to find a motive for, remains a top priority.
Raonaid was described as very attractive, five feet five inches, with long, straight blonde hair. The last definite sighting of the teenager was when she left Scott's Public House in the town at 11.20pm on that Friday night.
Her body, punctured with stab wounds in the back and sides, was found at Silchester Crescent in Glenageary at 12.40am, only 500 yards from her home.
Raonaid's sister Sarah made the horrific discovery. It is thought the killer used a double edged six-inch knife but no murder weapon has ever been recovered. Detectives believe Raonaid was attacked between midnight and 12.10am.
The walk from Dun Laoghaire is approximately 15 minutes and gardai said there is a period of 20 to 35 minutes in Raonaid's last movements that has not been accounted for. On the night of the murder Raonaid was wearing a blue, short sleeved top, dark trousers, black platform ankle boots with a four-inch heel, giving her the appearance of being about five feet nine inches.
She also wore a distinctive stud on the right side of her nose. Raonaid had a black coat and was carrying it over her arm and was also holding a distinctive shopping bag from the Sally West women's boutique.
The teenager also had a small shoulder bag over her left shoulder and across her body. At around 11.50pm on September 3 1999, a witness saw a female fitting the description of Raonaid walking along the left side of Corrig Avenue with a man.
He was said to be around 25 years old, five feet 10 inches and good looking with a slim, athletic build. He had unkempt sandy coloured hair styled at the time like members of the rock band Oasis and was dressed casually with light coloured combat trousers, a round-necked, light-coloured, worn looking jumper.
Gardai said detectives have not been able to identify this person although an artist's impression has been drawn. Thousands of people have been interviewed and statements taken but no-one has been charged with Raonaid's murder.
Last year around the time of the anniversary gardai issued a similar appeal and many members of the public, including people who had been out socialising on the night, came forward with new information. Officers hope the same will happen this year as they try to finally solve the murder.
"Gardai believe that there are still some people that have vital information who have not come forward to date. The gardai are strongly appealing to those persons to come forward and assist the investigation," a spokesman said. Anyone with information should contact the incident room at Dun Laoghaire, or use the Garda confidential line at 1800 666 111.