Detectives investigating the murders of two teenagers on the Isle of Man have described as potentially "significant" the discovery of a shoe near where one of the bodies was found.
Ms Samantha Barton (16), who was born in Dublin and moved to the island when she was about nine, and Mr George Green (16) were found strangled in separate locations on the island at the weekend. They were living in care homes and were described as "troubled" teenagers who were frequently in trouble with the police.
Releasing further details about the investigation yesterday, Det Insp Gary Roberts said police had discovered a brown Reebok sports shoe close to where Mr Green's body was found on Saturday in a copse on the outskirts of the capital Douglas. Ms Barton's body was found on Friday night at the Leece Lodge Two care home about 200 yards from the copse.
"The location of the shoe and other aspects lead us to think the discovery is significant. The shoe was fairly well worn," Det Insp Roberts told The Irish Times. He would not say if police were linking the shoe to Mr Green or his killer.
It also emerged that one of the pair's friends, Mr Ben Clark (15), had been reported missing from his care home. Police are not linking his disappearance to the murders and Det Insp Roberts said the teenager was "probably just keeping his head down".