Parents appeal to find daughter's killer

The distraught parents of a 16-year-old girl found murdered at an isolated spot today made an emotional appeal for help in finding her killer.

The half naked body of Megan McAlorum was discovered near Belfast in an area of forest, quarries and lakes half a mile from the Glenside Road in Dunmurry late yesterday.

Some of her clothing had been removed and detectives probing the killing were attempting to establish whether any sex attack was involved.

A post-mortem examination was expected to be carried out later today.

Her parents, Frankie and Margaret, said they could not understand why anyone would want to murder their daughter.

“She was full of love and life,” said her mother, adding: “She trusted people too much“.

Her father said their daughter may have been dragged into a car near their home at Glencolin Way on the edge of the Lenadoon estate in west Belfast and driven away.

“We heard from different people coming to the door and telling us that she had been arguing with somebody up the road. There is supposed to have been somebody trailed her into a car,” he said.

The couple, who have six other children, pleaded with anyone with information to contact the police.

Weeping, Mrs McAlorum said: “Get in contact with the police. Megan was just turned 16 years of age, if he could do it to her he could do it to anybody.”

Her husband begged: “The smallest detail, tell the police.”

Local priest Father John Forsythe was taken by police to the scene of the murder to give the last rites to the girl before trying to comfort her grieving parents.

He said: “They are absolutely distraught and shattered, all they want is their daughter back again.”

Fr Forsythe said the couple and their six other children were all “united in uncontrollable grief in the face of pure evil“.

He said of the isolated spot where he said prayers over the teenager’s body: “It is a beautiful area – lakes, beautiful views of the city – and yet you could not call it peaceful because of the evil which has touched the site. It’s an absolute tragedy.”

The body was found by children from a travellers’ camp in the area when they were out on the hillside looking for their horses.

“They went to get their father and he went to the body, put a coat over it and informed the police,” said Fr Forsythe.

Police were called in when Megan’s parents reported her missing following a night out.

One security source said: “We don’t know at this stage whether there was a sexual assault or not, but there is no doubt we are dealing with the murder of a young female.”

She went out on Sunday night socialising in the area, he said, but never made it home.

Megan had been working part-time in a bar. She had recently left St Genevieve’s High School in west Belfast and had been due to go to college in September to study childcare.

The killing has plunged an entire community into a state of shock and anger, according to a councillor for the area.

Sinn Féin representative Gerard O’Neill said: “This is a terrible horror that has fallen upon that family. There’s just total shock locally that this type of thing can happen.”

Patricia Lewsley, SDLP Assembly member for the area where the body was discovered, said the killer had to be found and appealed for anyone with information to contact police.

Ms Lewsley said: “You think that at this time young people can go out and be with their friends and you hope that they come home safely – in this case this young girl didn’t.”

She said it was “such a tragedy and trauma” for her family.

“Why would somebody want to do this? The important thing is that whoever did this has to be caught.”