Body found in search for missing Wicklow woman

Detectives searching for 24-year-old Jastine Valdez, from Co Wicklow, who was feared to have been abducted have discovered a body.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st May 2018, 17:52 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 08:39 BST
Undated handout photo issued by the Garda Press Office of Jastine Valdez, 24, from Enniskerry, who was last seen when she left her home on Saturday afternoonUndated handout photo issued by the Garda Press Office of Jastine Valdez, 24, from Enniskerry, who was last seen when she left her home on Saturday afternoon
Undated handout photo issued by the Garda Press Office of Jastine Valdez, 24, from Enniskerry, who was last seen when she left her home on Saturday afternoon

The 24-year-old was last seen being bundled into a Nissan Qashqai SUV near her home in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, on Saturday evening.

A Garda spokesman said the body of a female was found in the Puck's Castle area on Monday.

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A suspect, named locally as 40-year-old Mark Hennessy, from Bray in Co Wicklow, was shot dead by an officer in a confrontation on Sunday evening after gardai traced the vehicle to the Cherrywood business district south of Dublin.

The spokesman said: "The body has not been formally identified.

"Gardai wish to appeal for privacy for the Valdez family at this time."

Puck's Castle Road in Rathmichael, Co Dublin, was cordoned off by gardai on Monday as a large-scale search, involving the Army, took place in the area.

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The R760 in Enniskerry, where Ms Valdez was last seen, also remained closed on Monday.

Residents in the village spoke of their shock at her disappearance.

Bernard Cawley, 57, from Executive Dry Cleaners, said she had been a regular customer.

"She's very, very friendly, always smiling and laughing," he said.

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"She's a lovely girl and always brings a smile to your face.

"Everyone is absolutely in shock and devastated by what's happened."

"The main thing for everyone in the village now is to hope she is found safe and well."

Sandra Archer, who runs a clothes shop in the village, said: "This area is so quiet normally, people leave their doors unlocked because there is no crime.

"I'm just shocked."

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Ireland's police watchdog, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman's Commission, is investigating the shooting.

Ms Valdez, an accountancy student originally from the Philippines, was walking home along the Kilcrony road in Enniskerry at around 6.15pm on Saturday when she was abducted.

Related topics:Residents