O'Connell Street girl identified

An unprecedented Garda investigation to identify a mystery girl who turned up dazed and confused on O'Connell Street in Dublin has been declared a success.

After a photograph of the girl was released worldwide, Garda detectives revealed they have now identified her and are liaising with police in Australia.

The young girl has been at the centre of several weeks of investigation and 115 separate lines of inquiry.

In a statement tonight, gardaí said that with the assistance of the public, they are now following a definite line of inquiry.

“(We) will be liaising closely with the Australian Police and the Health Service Executive (HSE) to finalise the matter,” the force said.

“Gardaí wish to sincerely thank the public and the media for their assistance.”

The girl had spoken little English since being discovered.

It was initially thought she was aged only 14 or 15 and European but it is now believed she is in her late teens and from Australia, after contact with authorities there.

She was found on Dublin’s O’Connell Street in a distressed state by gardaí on a routine afternoon patrol on October 10.

It is believed the clothes were bought in major Irish retailers but detectives could not determine when they were purchased.