Gardaí are concerned that the killer of a 17-year-old girl, who had been living rough in Dublin and whose body was found in a derelict house in Ballsbridge on Friday afternoon, may strike again.
Niamh Murphy, the adopted daughter of a Galway couple, died from injuries apparently inflicted with an old pair of garden shears which may have been left in the abandoned house in Pembroke Road.
A post-mortem is understood to have shown that she died from stab injuries to her throat.
The results of post-mortem tests are still awaited but sources close to the investigation said there was no initial sign of a sexual assault.
It is understood that Ms Murphy had been living rough in the city centre for some months. Her body was discovered by a homeless man, described as her boyfriend. Ms Murphy had been begging in the city centre and was understood to have a drugs problem.
The man reported the discovery to the Gfarda. He was questioned at Donnybrook Garda station but is not under suspicion.
The house, which is described as filthy, was being examined in detail yesterday by scores of crimes officers from the Dublin Metropolitan Regional Task Force. The officers were said to be working in appalling conditions.
Garda sources said the extent of Ms Murphy's injuries had given rise to fears that her killer may strike again. There is not believed to have been any sign of provocation.
Ms Murphy had a turbulent history since her mid-teens, running away from home in the Salthill area of Galway over two years ago.
Her adoptive family is well known and respected in the area, where Mr Ted Murphy works as a supermarket manager.
Mr Murphy and his wife, Alice, travelled to Dublin on Saturday to identify their daughter's body.
It is believed that since leaving home Ms Murphy had associated with drug addicts and petty criminals, first in Galway and then in Dublin.
She was arrested over a year ago in connection with an attempt to pass a counterfeit cheque. It is believed she moved to Dublin about a year ago.
She came to the attention of social services but turned down offers of hostel accommodation, choosing to live rough and associate with drug users.
Gardaí frequently have to deal with assaults and other problems encountered by young homeless people in the city centre, particularly teenage girls who are frequently preyed on by violent drug and alcohol addicts.
Three years ago a 21-year-old heroin addict, Sinéad Kelly, also from a respectable family in north Dublin, was stabbed to death on the banks of the Grand Canal where she worked as a prostitute. No one has been charged with her murder.
Detectives from the Dublin Regional Task Force and South Central Division are piecing together what evidence they can find about the movements of people who had been using the derelict house, opposite the US embassy on Pembroke Road.
The house has been derelict for several years despite the fact that it is a highly valuable property.