A WEBSITE dedicated to the memory of Raonaid Murray and appealing for help in finding her killer was launched by her family yesterday to mark the 10th anniversary of her death.
The body of the 17-year-old Dubliner was found at Silchester Crescent, Glenageary, in the early hours of September 4th, 1999. She had been stabbed to death as she walked home after a night out in Dún Laoghaire.
While there have been occasional reports of breakthroughs in the Garda investigation, no one has ever been charged with her murder.
Yesterday a Garda spokesman said the investigation into her death was ongoing. He said gardaí welcomed the new website and hoped it would encourage people to come forward with new information. Her family said they launched the site, www.raonaid.com, “to pay tribute to Raonaid, and to honour her beautiful life, which was tragically taken from her”.
On the website, her parents Jim and Deirdre, brother Daniel and sister Sarah describe Raonaid as “a treasure beyond words”.
“She was our flesh and blood, loving, caring, bright and beautiful and at 17 years of age she was looking forward and full of hope for her future life,” they said.
“She loved poetry, music, animals, writing and like every teenager, being out with her friends.”
They said time had not healed the pain of their loss. “It is the little ordinary things that we miss so much – the sheer joy of her presence. She was our sunflower.”
Speaking on RTÉ yesterday, her mother Deirdre said she knew the next few weeks would be very difficult. Her father Jim said the website provided an opportunity for people who had information to come forward. “Maybe something has changed for an individual in the past 10 years that might free them now to come forward with important information,” he said.
By 5pm yesterday, more than 80 tributes had been left on the website. Many spoke of shock and the wish justice would be done.
