Clues that can set detectives on track of a killer
THE abduction and murder of a child by someone outside the family or by a complete stranger is one of the rarest crimes that can occur.
In Ireland, there are no documented cases of a child abduction/murder by a stranger or someone outside the family where the body has subsequently been found.
The most famous cases of suspected abduction and murder remain missing persons investigations where no bodies have been found and no person was ever convicted in connection with the alleged crimes.
These are the disappearances of six-year-old Mary Boyle in 1977 and schoolboy Phillip Cairns in 1986.
More recently, in 1994, Arlene Arkinson, a 15-year-old from Castlederg, Co Tyrone, disappeared after leaving a Bundoran disco. While no body has been found, a man has been charged in the North with her murder.
Because of the uniqueness of these crimes, they are among the most difficult to investigate. They are always high profile and the investigation is usually accompanied by a high degree of public emotion.
While detectives here would use their own extensive experience of murder investigations to track down a killer, they would have to look to other jurisdictions including Britain and the US for examples of child abduction/murders by strangers.
A body of expertise has been developed internationally on how to investigate such crimes. It is likely gardaí will use this in an attempt to build a possible profile.
They are likely to check out known sexual offenders in the area but also those with a record of other offences.
The majority of killers have convictions for some type of violent crime, often sexual.
International research suggests that in the majority of cases (75%) police have a small list of prime suspects and in many cases know the name of the killer within a week of the discovery of a body.
This will enable them to retrace their steps and re-evaluate everyone connected with the investigation. It is fairly common for the killer to have been in contact with the police during any initial canvass and even to have taken part in the search for the body.
Gardaí, in the course of an investigation, do not have the power to take intimate body samples without permission.
This power is included in a new criminal justice bill likely to be passed next year.
It is, however, possible they will ask specific groups of people to offer DNA to eliminate them from their inquiries. This will enable them to focus their intentions on an even smaller pool of suspects.
Forensic evidence gathered is likely to be crucial in solving the murder. The initial contact site, the murder scene and where the body was found are all extremely important.
Past experience in other countries suggests the initial contact is made within a quarter-mile of the victim's last known location and, as in this case, extremely close to the home.
The distance from the murder site to where the body is recovered is normally less than 200 feet. The murder site is second in importance only to the body as a source of physical evidence.
The initial canvass is also important as killers are normally at the first contact site for a legitimate reason. They are either living or working in the area. Most attackers are opportunists.
A recent American study revealed the average age of killers of is around 27, around 85% are unmarried, half live alone or with their parents and half are unemployed.
The majority of abducted children are murdered within three hours of the abduction. In the majority of these types of cases, the killer is a stranger, though a sizeable minority would be known to the child.
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