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Updated 11.18pm
GARDAÍ HAVE DISCOVERED a body in the search for missing woman Jastine Valdez.
The body has been removed from the scene this evening, RTÉ reports. A note was also found in a black Nissan Qashqai which gardaí are currently examining.
24-year-old Jastine Valdez was reported missing on Saturday night after she was believed to have been forced into a car on the R760 near Enniskerry in Co Wicklow.
Last night a man wanted in connection with her disappearance, named locally as Mark Hennessy, was shot dead by gardaí after an altercation with officers at Cherrywood in Dublin. It is understood he was armed with a knife at the time.
Searches continued this morning at a number of locations in south county Dublin, including a disused golf course in the Puck Castle area.
Gardaí have confirmed a body was located in this area. It is understood the body was found in an area of thick gorse and it will take time to retrieve the remains.
No formal identification has been made and gardaí appealed for privacy for the woman’s family.
They also thanked the public and the media for their assistance and the Defence Forces and Civil Defence for their help with searches today.
Investigators had used CCTV footage, phone data and location information downloaded from the satellite navigation system in the man’s car to track his movements between Saturday evening and Sunday night.
Local Fine Gael Senator Neale Richmond said the community is “shaken by this horrendous news”.
“It’s an area I know well, right on the Dublin/Wicklow border, close enough to where I live.
It is a relatively rural area, but very settled and peaceful. It’s chilling to think something so awful could happen here.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim, her family and our emergency services at this terrible time.”
Gardaí have appealed to anyone who was in the vicinity of Pucks Castle Lane, Murphy’s Lane, using Carrickgollogan Forest Recreation Area or anyone who was in the vicinity of the lead mines in Kilternan from Saturday at 6pm to Sunday at 8pm and who may have seen anything suspicious and in particular the black Nissan Qashqai 171 D 20419 to contact them.
They are also seeking assistance from hillwalkers or cyclists or anyone who may have driven through these locations and may be in possession of a dashcam that was operating during this timeframe to contact Bray Garda Station 01-6665300 the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
- With reporting by Garreth MacNamee and Paul Hosford.
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I’m only in my the boozer. I’m half drunk, half high and there’s a strange smell of raw meat off me. What the heck am I doing here reading about baby names for?
We should just use our pps numbers
What the article doesn’t state is that this list was issued by Dept of Foreign Affairs and is a list of the first names of babies who applied for passports. It is not a list of all babies born last year. That is done by the CSO and comes out later in the year. This one means nothing
It clearly states at the top of the graph that the names are from birth certs.
Yes. Birth certs provided for passport applications, not all birth certs issued last year. Those stats aren’t collated until later this year. Google it
Yes. From birth certs provided for passport applications. Not all birth certs issued last year. Those stats aren’t collated yet. Google it. Dept of Foreign Affairs released these ones, that’s your clue.
@Santa Carla: That seems legit at face value. I was wondering why the department of foreign affairs were collating birth cert statistics.
Why are people such sheep when it comes to choosing names?
If they really were sheep,we’d be calling them Wooly and Shaun
When you have a kid call it Enda so
Recently I heard a child being called Noah by his Mother.
The first thing I thought of was ‘where is the flood’
If only Daniel and jack were in reverse
@eastsmer #IRExit: When I hear jack I think where is the bean stalk,and as for Emily I think where is the ponies .English to the core this nation of sheep are.
Very soon it will be Mohammed.
Highly unlikely. You’re probably the type who sees the country as overwhelmed with Muslims, when in fact it’s just 1.1% of the population. That’s about 51,000 people out of 4.7 million, and about 4,650,000 people who are not Muslim. That, coupled with the fact that (and this may surprise you) they don’t call all their sons Mohammed, makes it even more unlikely.
But don’t let the facts get in the way of your arsey comment.
On another topic though, I’m sad to see so few Irish names in the lists. None for the boys, and two for the girls. So many nice ones to choose from.
Ah fèck it, there are at least three Irish names for boys. Sunday morning brain is a curse.
@Eamon Mac Gowan: Followed by Abdul,Haifa,Ibrahim,Precious.
Please please please save us from Jack.
It’s been going on 20 years.
1/5 of boys are called Jack.
Its cringeworthy.
It’s awful.
@Tom Burke: Do you know how it started by the way?
Titanic
James Cameron has a lot to answer for
I’d just like to point out that on the Journal’s graph they show lego on the male side. Can’t girls play with lego too? That’s some deep internalised misogyny right there. I knew the Journal was part of the patriarchy! Hell they even use pink and blue. And there’s only two genders!? Sexist and transphobic as ever.
Fyi this is satire just in case I activate Poe’s law
Just wondering how or where the Department of Foreign Affairs comes into it.
It’s not possible to have a list of baby names yet as parent have 3 months to register their kids so a list like this is BS
It’s not the proper CSO list Paul. This is just a list of the names on birth certs for babies who made passport applications last year
Noah and Amelia/Emilia are the best names here
Amelia sounds like some kind of blood disorder…
Yes, but each to their own. I’m guessing that most Emilias are named after the actress’s stage name. The woman who plays Daenerys. I think it would date fast. At least naming a child after a legendary Irish character would mean they or their great-grandchildren could look it up later, while most names from a TV series will seem obscure even one generation on.
Enda is a lovely name. Enda Kenny with be all forgotten about in 5 years time.
It’s a pity his policies won’t be.
AAHH no Enda how many Simon’s
Michelle, surely these are passport related, why else would dept of foreign affairs issue?
my son was born in march 2016,and his name is Thor and that’s not on your list
have your say