Missing girl found dead 500 yards from home

A missing 12-year-old girl found dead in Dublin today was discovered only 500 yards from her home.

The child, named locally as Michaela Davis, left her home in the Blanchardstown area in the west of Dublin at around midnight last night, telling family members she would be back soon, but never returned.

After a day-long search involving gardaí, a member of the public found her body in undergrowth on the banks of Dublin’s Royal Canal at around 4pm.

The scene, close to a railway track, is across a piece of waste ground from her family home in the modern Village development off the Porterstown Road.

Garda detectives were tonight trying to piece together Michaela’s final moments while State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy was working to establish the cause of her death.

Tearful children were among stunned bystanders watching as officers conducted a painstaking examination of the area.

It is understood Michaela had been out with friends earlier last night but had returned home. At around midnight she then apparently said she was stepping out again for a while.

When she had not returned by 2am, her family contacted police at Blanchardstown Garda Station.

Local councillor David McGuinness said the community was stunned.

“This is a real tragedy,” said the Fianna Fáil representative.

“A young girl has lost her life and that is so sad.”

Councillor Matthew Waine passed on his condolences.

“My thoughts are foremost with this young girl’s family,” said the Socialist Party member.

“Local people will be deeply shocked that something like this has happened. While these sort of tragedies are rare and the circumstance are not yet clear, it reminds us just how vulnerable young people in our society are.”