Buried body is that of missing teenager

A body found buried in a ditch close to Dublin’s Grand Canal was today confirmed to be that of a 17-year-old youth, missing for more than three years.

Patrick Lawlor, from Palmerstown, Dublin, is thought by gardai to have been killed and buried on waste ground behind a factory as the result of a drugs-dealing row.

His remains were discovered in a shallow grave by gardai last night after a search prompted by a tip-off.

A forensic examination of the area was continuing today as gardai launched a murder investigation.