Inga Maria Hauser: Ballypatrick memorial for murdered German teenager

A memorial has been held for a German teenager who was murdered in Northern Ireland more than 30 years ago.
Mourners laid a Christmas wreath and German flag at the memorial plaque dedicated to murder victim Inga Maria Hauser  in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, outside BallycastleMourners laid a Christmas wreath and German flag at the memorial plaque dedicated to murder victim Inga Maria Hauser  in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, outside Ballycastle
Mourners laid a Christmas wreath and German flag at the memorial plaque dedicated to murder victim Inga Maria Hauser in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, outside Ballycastle

The body of Munich teenager Inga Maria Hauser was found dumped in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, outside Ballycastle, Co Antrim, 14 days after she was last seen alive on a ferry from Scotland.

The 18-year-old’s death in April 1988 remains one of the Province’s most high-profile unsolved murders.

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A tribute was paid to Ms Hauser on Saturday at the spot where her body was found.

Inga Maria Hauser disappeared after getting off a ferry in Larne in 1988Inga Maria Hauser disappeared after getting off a ferry in Larne in 1988
Inga Maria Hauser disappeared after getting off a ferry in Larne in 1988

Mourners laid a Christmas wreath and German flag at the memorial plaque dedicated to her.

Phoenix Law solicitor Claire McKeegan, who attended the memorial, tweeted: “Our thoughts are with the Hausers who are pressing the @thePPSNI for a decision on the suspect file. #justiceforINGA,”.

Last year, on the 30th anniversary of the crime, detectives said they believed a number of people may have been involved either directly in the murder or in the subsequent cover-up, and said they only need fractional pieces of evidence to bring the chief suspects to justice.

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Detectives investigating the killing have passed an evidence file on a 59-year-old suspect to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS). The PPS have yet to decide whether there are grounds to prosecute the man.

He was originally arrested in connection with the murder last May and later released on bail pending further inquiries.

Police have a male genetic profile found at the murder scene.

A number of years ago, in one of the largest DNA screenings undertaken in the UK, 2,000 samples failed to produce a definitive match.

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Ms Hauser had travelled through England and Scotland and, according to diary entries, intended to travel south to Dublin after her ferry docked at Larne, Co Antrim.

For reasons as yet unexplained, she ended up going in the opposite direction and was found dead in remote woodland two weeks later.

It is understood the IRA carried out its own investigation into the killing 30 years ago.

It is believed republican paramilitaries had considered passing information about the alleged murderer to the RUC at the height of the Troubles, but did not follow through.