A Garda search for the torso of a boy who was murdered before his remains were dismembered began on Wednesday and it is expected to continue for several days.
Garda search teams on Wednesday morning began combing a large area in the northeast as part of their efforts to find the torso the teenager.
The boy was murdered in the region in recent years and his remains were dismembered. However, while most of his body parts were found by gardaí, his torso has never been recovered.
Gardaí investigating the teenager’s murder have carried out a number of searches for the boy’s torso in the period since his killing, the latest of which was under way on Wednesday.
The Garda team has received information several times about the possible location of the torso but to date searches at those sites have not been successful. “Gardaí are carrying out a search . . . as part of the investigation into the murder of a male juvenile,” Garda Headquarters said in reply to queries.
"Local gardaí are being assisted by the Louth Divisional Search unit, Garda Dog Units, Garda Water Units and the Technical Bureau from Garda Headquarters."
On Wednesday, a large area of waste ground beside a local authority housing estate in a town in the northeast was searched by gardaí looking for the torso, based on the latest intelligence received.
The area was cordoned off from early morning and more than 30 members of the force were involved in the search. While gardaí want to find the murdered teenager’s torso so it could be buried with the rest of his remains, they also believe it would prove valuable evidence in the case and shed light on how the victim died.
In the weeks after the boy’s murder he was buried, though his torso had not been recovered, and the investigation into the killing has continued. Legal restrictions mean the boy’s identity, and other details about the case, cannot be disclosed.
