30 suspects, 1,000 queries, 100 gardaí: On a killer’s trail

GARDAÍ hunting the killer of schoolboy Robert Houlihan are concentrating their investigations on 30 people, several of whom are known sex offenders.

The post-mortem examination on Robert's body was carried out last night by State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy.

Gardaí were unable to confirm if the schoolboy had sustained any sexual injuries or if DNA evidence had been recovered from the scene.

Neither were they able to say precisely when or how he died.

They confirmed he was fully clothed and that his mobile phone was recovered where his body was found.

They revealed the upper half of his body was covered in a plastic bag.

With earlier confirmation that he had been murdered, after being missing for nine days, investigating officers appealed to the public for specific information:

Two men who had not signed in but had paid green fees at East Cork Golf Club on Tuesday, January 4, at about 11am.

Two men who visited East Cork driving range on January 4 had not yet made contact with gardaí.

A well-dressed man who was spotted at Egan's Field, near Robert's home on January 4 looking out of place.

A number of white vans, particularly one with a red stripe down the side, a black jeep and a silver/grey jeep in the area between Ballyedmond and East Cork Golf Club on January 4 between 1pm and 6pm.

A red van or car spotted near the carpark area at the entrance to Curragh Woods on January 4.

Anyone who had visited or walked the Inch Beach area between January 4 and when the body was found.

They asked anyone who had a holiday home or mobile home in the area to check to see if the properties had been occupied.

In total, the garda investigation team are following 1,000 lines of inquiry.

Garda search teams, backed by troops, will this morning continue to search specific areas for clues that may lead to the identity of the killer.

The searches involving 100 gardaí will be concentrated on three areas, close to where the body was found, a wider area around Whitegate and the Water Rock Golf Club near Midleton.

Gardaí confirmed they had questioned a number of convicted sex offenders with what they called a "track record" since the disappearance of the 11-year-old schoolboy.

It is understood detectives spoke to more than 50 people with sex offence convictions and it is expected that officers will revisit many of these over the coming days after receiving post-mortem details.

They also confirmed they had been in contact with police forces across Europe in relation to a possible link to a international sex ring.

Assistant garda commissioner Tony Hickey admitted people in the local community were concerned at the prospect of a killer on the loose.

"Naturally there is concern. People have to be sensible at all times with children. It is important we get the perpetrator of this crime to allay that concern."

However, Mr Hickey said the murder of a child was extremely rare. In 40 years, there had only been three such cases Mary Boyle from Donegal, Bernadette Connolly from Sligo and Phillip Cairns from Dublin.

He said it was possible Robert's killer wanted to admit his guilt and appealed for him to come forward.

The eight day search for Robert involved thousands of volunteers.

Mr Hickey said there had been grave concern for the fate of the boy because of his age, family circumstances and the fact he had not gone missing before.

He acknowledged there had been criticism of the force for publicly treating the disappearance of Robert as a missing person's inquiry for eight days.

However, he said, from day one, a parallel investigation had been set up which treated the disappearance as a homicide.

"It would be foolish, it would be idiotic for us not to strongly suspect he'd been abducted or come to his death by some type of misadventure."

He added the sensitivities of the Holohan family, who had been hoping for their son's safe return, had also been taken into account.

The family were informed of the latest developments last night by Midleton District Superintendent Liam Hayes. He said it had been very traumatic for the boy's parents, Majella and Mark.

"They're coping well, they've been advised by their doctors.

"They're going to get through it," he said.