Body found in search for missing student Jastine Valdez, 24, who was last seen being bundled into a car in County Wicklow
The remains of a female were discovered at Pucks Castle in County Dublin, Ireland today
POLICE searching for missing student Jastine Valdez have discovered a body today.
The remains of a female were discovered at Pucks Castle in Rathmichael, Co Dublin.
The body has not yet been formally identified.
A police statement said: “Gardai investigating the disappearance of 24-year-old Jastine Valdez have discovered the body of a female in the Puckscastle area.
“The body has not been formally identified.
“Gardai wish to appeal for privacy for the Valdez family at this time.
“Gardai wish to thank the public, the media, the Defence Forces and Civil Defence for their assistance in this investigation.”
Officers have been searching for Jastine since Saturday evening following witness reports that she had been “” close to her home in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
The suspected abductor, dad-of-two builder Mark Hennessy was shot and killed in a car park at Cherrywood Business Park in south Co last night.
It is understood that officers, supported by the armed guards, were approaching the man when he threatened them with a knife and a detective opened fire — shooting him in the head and the arm.
He was rushed to nearby Loughlinstown hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
were first alerted to the abduction on Saturday when a witness told how they had seen a lone woman being forced into a black Nissan Qashqai at around 6.15pm.
Jastine was later identified as the suspected victim at 11.20pm when her worried family filed a report.
Gardai yesterday in the area where she was nabbed as a massive search operation swung into action.
There was no sign of missing Jastine following the shooting, and gardai cordoned off the scene, which is overlooked by the Brides Glen Luas stop, to allow a torch-lit search of the area.
The Philippines national, a student at the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, was believed to have been single and an early line of inquiry concerned whether she knew the driver of the car.
Her parents, who also live in , were said to be extremely distressed as gardai briefed them on developments.
A source told the Irish Sun that the suspect — named locally as Mark Hennessy, believed to be aged 40 — was not previously known to authorities.
They revealed: “The suspect is understood to be 40, from Ballybrack but now living in the Boghall Road area of Bray in Co Wicklow.
“He is a builder by trade and is married with two kids.”
Gardai launched a large search operation this morning to locate Valdez.
Search teams were deployed to the Rathmichael area of south county Dublin and an area known as the ‘Scalp’ was combed.
The Garda Water Unit with the search in south Dublin along with the Garda helicopter and sniffer dogs.
A walk on Killiney Hill was also cordoned off by .
Ms Valdez’s in the Killiney Hill area this morning.
A garda helicopter conducted an aerial search of the area while members of the Defence Forces and Civil Defence were called in to help. Six Army trucks arrived at the search site this morning.