Gardaí investigating the death of 18-year-old Cameron Reilly believe they are close to charging someone with the murder.
Mr Reilly was strangled in Dunleer, Co Louth, in May after a night out with friends. His body was found in a field by a dog-walker the next day.
Two weeks ago gardaí arrested an 18-year-old in connection with the murder but released him without charge.
Investigators have taken a large amount of forensic and DNA evidence from people who may have had contact with Mr Reilly on the night of his death.
Much of this evidence is still being examined by the State forensic laboratory, Forensic Science Ireland. It is understood the laboratory is dealing with a large case-load, which is delaying the processing of the results.
Gardaí believe they know who killed Mr Reilly and that the expected results of the forensic testing will allow them to arrest and charge the suspect with murder soon.
Investigators originally suspected Mr Reilly was killed by a youth over a dispute about a female acquaintance.
However, they now believe he was murdered by an 18-year-old who he was on friendly terms with.
Supt Andrew Watters this week said gardaí have so far interviewed about 20 of Mr Reilly's friends and have received good co-operation from them. He also discounted reports that potential witnesses to the murder were being intimidated from coming forward by drug gangs or dissidents.
"If any evidence of intimidation is disclosed in this or any other investigation it will not be tolerated and will be formally dealt with," he told a meeting of the local Joint Policing Committee (JPC).
“No formal complaints have been received by An Garda Síochána to date in this investigation and there is no evidence that persons were intimidated and silenced during the investigation.”
Supt Watters said they are still looking for Mr Reilly’s missing mobile phone which gardaí believe holds vital clues to his movements that night. They suspect the phone was taken from the scene in an effort to hamper the investigation.
The JPC is usually held in Ardee but was held in Dunleer as a show of solidarity with Mr Reilly's family. It was attended by three TDs and a member of Mr Reilly's family.
"There's a quiet confidence here in the community that the murder will probably be solved. They will get his killer or killers in the final end," JPC member and Dunleer resident Hugh D Conlon told The Irish Times.
“We really think as a community we can’t move on, and neither can the family, until the killer is found and brought to justice.”
“The community is very, very strong. The backing the family are getting is very, very strong,” he added.
