Gardaí in Dublin have renewed their appeal for information to help identify a woman found murdered in the Phoenix Park last week.
The remains of the unidentified woman, who was aged in her 30s or 40s, were discovered in a wooded area off Military Road between the Islandbridge and Chapelizod gates of the park close to playing fields known as “the 15 acres”.
Gardaí issued a second photograph of the woman on Friday in the hope that someone would come forward and identify her.
The investigators took the unusual step of circulating the dead woman’s photograph to the media after no leads emerged as to her identity some three days after she was murdered.
Two people out walking saw the body at 3.30pm on Wednesday and went to a nearby house within the park and raised the alarm.
Gardaí believe the woman was killed where her remains were found and that she was most likely murdered on Tuesday night. Gardaí have received a number of reports of men in the area on Tuesday night, but it is unclear who they were or if any of them is linked to the murder.
The remains were found fully clothed and there was no sign of a sexual assault. The victim had been stabbed eight times in the chest area in what Garda sources described as a “frenzied attack”.
Sarches of the area failed to uncover the murder weapon. The woman may have been a foreign national whose absence may not have been reported because she may not have family or a large circle of friends here. Garda sources said given the condition of the remains they do not believe the woman was homeless or was certainly not homeless for a long period.
The victim is described as being aged between 30 and 40 years, 147cm (4ft 10in) in height and of medium build. She had brown hair, which was “almost shoulder-length”.
She was wearing a grey or green fleece top and a red and blue striped rugby top. She also wore three-quarter length loose-fitting pink leggings.
Thick woolly socks and shoes, believed to belong to the woman, were found close to her body. A black bicycle was discovered nearby. The victim’s toenails were painted gold.
She wore a gold chain necklace with a St Anthony’s medal affixed with a piece of string. She was also wearing a chain necklace with a silver cross and gold hoop type earrings described as “creole-type”.
Gardaí asked anyone with information to contact Cabra Garda station at 01-6667400.