Detectives investigating the murder of teenager Sheola Keaney were continuing door to door inquiries tonight in the small seaside town of Cobh.
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| The body of 19-year-old Sheola Keaney was found in a ditch. |
Gardai confirmed the 19-year-old's partially-clothed body, wrapped in sheets, was hidden by her killer under scrap metal in a quiet laneway.
The path linking Norwood Hill to Cobh Pirates rugby club remained sealed off as forensic officers combed the scene for clues.
The teen, from Glenanaar, disappeared on Friday. She was last seen at around 10am, walking in the Rushbrook area of the Co Cork port town.
After a post-mortem examination at Cork University Hospital last night the Garda probe was upgraded to a murder case.
The force would not release the results of the examination but it is believed the popular waitress, who was hoping to study at University College Cork, was strangled to death.
Her remains are to be removed to Cobh Cathedral at 7pm tomorrow evening from the hospital mortuary, before burial in the town's new cemetery on Thursday, after 2pm Mass.
A search at the rugby club was carried out this morning and teams of uniformed and plain clothes gardaí were calling on houses in the Rushbrooke and Newtown areas.
Inspector Martin Dorney, from Cobh Station, said: "We have a number of both uniform and detective teams on the ground working in Cobh.
"At the moment we are keeping an open mind but all avenues will be investigated."
Mr Dorney confirmed no-one has been questioned in relation to the killing.
"The post mortem concluded Sheola was murdered but for operational reasons I am not going into the cause of death as it will be of benefit to us later on in the investigation," he said.
"We know that Sheola attended a barbecue in the Rushbrook area of Cobh on Thursday night and from there she went into a nightclub in the town itself. She returned to the barbecue some time in the early morning," he said.
Inspector Dorney appealed for anyone who was in the town area or Rushbrook area at any time between late Thursday night and early Friday morning, and particularly to people in the Newtown area of Cobh where her body was located, to contact Gardai on 021 4908530.