Gardaí believe Ana was killed by somebody known to her.
They have spoken to several people she was with around the time of the last confirmed sighting of her.
And the murder inquiry is also examining her social media use. However, because Snapchat messages are not archived, records of her use of that messaging app have not been available to the Garda.
Gardaí are exploring a sexual motive for the murder of 14-year-old Ana Kriegel and believe DNA evidence will help catch her killer.
The body of the Leixlip schoolgirl was found in a derelict farmhouse just outside Lucan, Co Dublin, at lunchtime on Thursday.
She had been dead for several days and gardaí believe she was killed just after the last known sighting of her at about 5.30pm on Monday.
Despite an intensive search of the area, including the sprawling St Catherine’s Park that borders Lucan and Leixlip, initially no trace of her was found.
Local sources said Ana was not a child who would ignore texts or calls from her parents. Because of that, when their repeated efforts to contact her last Monday evening failed they went to the Garda.
Searching, involving local people, gardaí and the Civil Defence, got under way at lunchtime on Tuesday. But it was not for another 48 hours that her remains were found in a derelict farmhouse just outside Lucan on the road to Clonee.
The farmyard, which is no longer in use, is less than 1km from St Catherine’s Park where the schoolgirl was last seen alive by two teenage friends.
Garda sources said she was undressed and her clothes were found in the house.
She had been beaten and had sustained fatal blunt-force injuries. Gardaí suspect some bloodied items, including pieces of wood, may have been used in the fatal attack.
Her killer
The investigation has also established the teenager was sexually assaulted. Consequently, they believe DNA samples gathered from the scene will help apprehend her killer.
Ana had been adopted from Russia aged two and was brought up in Leixlip. Her mother, Geraldine, is Irish and her father, Patric, is French. The family also kept a house in France and Ana would spend time there with her parents and brother Aaron.
The derelict farmhouse where her remains were discovered is still classified as a crime scene. It will stay sealed for some time.
Because forensic evidence is expected to be central in efforts to solve the case, the Garda Technical Bureau’s examination of the murder scene is exhaustive.
Several items, including the wood and other objects, have been taken from the house for examination.
The investigation team has also spoken to several of the teenager’s friends in whose company she was last seen.
The school which she attended is to open on Saturday so students and their parents can gather and grieve.
In shock
Confey Community College, Leixlip, opened as usual on Friday, with the school assuring parents via text messages their children were being “minded”.
“Teachers have organised to be in school tomorrow from 11am to 1pm to support students this difficult time. We will open an area for parents as well.”
Confey parish priest Tony O’Shaughnessy said the tight-knit community was in shock following the killing.
“Talking to parishioners in my parish of Confey, there is a very definitely a palpable sense of shock, numbness and sadness in the heart of our community,” said Fr O’Shaughnessy. “People feel helpless in the face of this awful tragedy . . . we are keeping the family in our thoughts and our prayers. The feeling in the community is just one immense shock and horror.”
Ana made her confirmation last year and Aaron made his in March of this year.
“People are generally shocked and in disbelief that this could happen; such a cruel and horrendous she experienced. I’ve been down to the family twice but they’ve been too traumatised to speak; the story is still infolding,” he said.
