Gardaí on Tuesday said they are investigating several reported sightings of missing 14-year-old Elisha Gault.
The search for the teenager who has been missing since St Patrick’s night is continuing and renewed appeals have been issued for information on her whereabouts.
The teenager was last at her home in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, at about 10pm on Saturday night and on Dillon Bridge shortly after that. Family members and friends are extremely concerned about her welfare and an investigating garda said a “large amount of assistance” has been received from the public since the first appeal was made on Sunday. “There have been a number of possible sightings of Elisha and they are being followed up at present to confirm if they are legitimate or not,” he said.
Gardaí believe there is a strong chance the 14-year-old, who is a pupil at Comeragh College in Carrick-on-Suir, is still alive. “We have nothing to suggest otherwise,” said the officer on the investigation team.
Gardaí have asked two young people seen near the traffic lights at Dillon Bridge before 9am on Sunday morning to get in contact. Elisha lives on New Street in Carrick-on-Suir with her family and her mother Gráinne has made an appeal on Facebook for anyone with information to get in touch.
‘Love her very much’
“If you know of her whereabouts, tell her she isn’t in trouble. She won’t be forced to come home, if she doesn’t want to. We just want to know she’s safe and well and we can call off all the search efforts and that myself, her daddy and her three sisters love her very much, no matter what.”
The teenager’s mother thanked everybody involved in the search. “Hug your kids that bit tighter tonight, appreciate what you’ve got.”
Supt William Leahy of Clonmel Garda station appealed on local radio to Alicia, “that if she’s listening to the programme or if any of her friends are listening to the programme, either make contact with ourselves in Clonmel or Carrick-on-Suir Garda station or a member of family, to let us know she’s okay”.
He also urged anyone in her circle of friends to get in touch if they haven’t already spoken to gardaí and to a young male.
Searches have been mounted over the last three days by gardaí, civil defence, Carrick-on-Suir River Rescue, Waterford Marine Search and Rescue, Nenagh Search and Rescue, the Coast Guard and others. Door-to-door inquiries have also been conducted by gardaí around the town. Elisha has been described as being between 5ft 10in and 6ft in height, with blue eyes and dyed blonde hair.