The mother of 14-year-old Elisha Gault, whose body was found in the river Suir on Sunday, has paid tribute on Facebook to her "beautiful, funny, intelligent baby".
The body of the missing teenager was found on Sunday evening about 8km from where she was last seen in Carrick-on-Suir more than a week ago.
It is understood that the search and rescue Coast Guard helicopter was on its way back to Waterford airport from a routine operation but crew members saw a body floating in the water near Fiddown bridge some time after 6pm on Sunday. The Coast Guard had been involved in the search throughout the last week.
Divers went to the scene and the body was recovered from low water along the edge of the Suir, about 8km from Carrick-on-Suir.
The remains were brought by helicopter to University Hospital Waterford. Gardaí later confirmed the remains were that of Elisha.
Gráinne Gault, Elisha’s mother, posted a photo of her daughter on Facebook on Monday morning accompanied by the message “my beautiful, funny, intelligent baby”.
Ms Gault had previously posted a message on Sunday, calling on her daughter to get in touch. “Elisha Gault, your daddy, myself and your 3 sisters love and miss you very much,” she wrote.
Hilariously funny
“We always have your back no matter what, you are so beautiful, with brains to burn and hilariously funny, remember what you done to me on the bus from Dublin, embarrassed the life out of me and roared ur leg laughing, we miss your craic. We just want you home for a movie night.”
She later updated the post with the message: “our baby girl has been recovered. Thank you all for your efforts in bringing her home to us so we can now lay her to rest.”
The 14-year-old was last seen at about 10.15pm on St Patrick’s night on Dillon Bridge in Carrick-on-Suir, heading towards the Carrickbeg area on the Co Waterford side of the town.
Family and friends made numerous appeals over the last week for information on her whereabouts, while appeals were made directly to Elisha to contact her family or gardaí.
Many State agencies and voluntary bodies were involved in searching the area around the Suir in and near Carrick since last Sunday morning including the gardaí, civil defence, the Coast Guard, Carrick River Rescue, Waterford Marine Search and Rescue, Nenagh Search and Rescue, Mallow Search and Rescue, and others.
Before the body was identified, a family friend said on Sunday night that if it was Elisha, “it gives a bit of closure to the family”.
Elisha was a pupil of Comeragh College in Carrick. Her mother Gráinne is originally from Belfast and the family lived for some time in Piltown, just over the Tipperary/Kilkenny border from Carrick-on-Suir, before moving to New Street in the town more than a year ago.
