Dramatic aerial photos released showing dig for tragic murdered student Annie McCarrick
Our aerial photos show how gardai demolished garage at rear of property formerly linked to 'a person of interest'
The dig at the property in Clondalkin
The dig at the property in Clondalkin
A builder on site said four skips of rubble were filled during the dig at the property in Clondalkin
The demolished garage at rear of the property formerly linked to 'a person of interest'
The are the dramatic aerial photographs that show how gardai literally left no stone unturned during an invasive two week dig for the remains of murdered US student Annie McCarrick.
The images, captured by Sunday World this week, reveal how officers completely demolished an 80sqm garage at the rear of a residential property in west Dublin, while also levelling trees.
The current owners, who purchased the home in 2011 at a cost of €310,000, are in no way linked to the investigation into Annie's disappearance.
Planning records obtained by the Sunday World show how after purchasing the property they were granted permission to build a new and modern two-storey home on the site, together with an 80sqm garage on the substantial rear garden.
Gardai believe Annie was murdered
Google Earth images show the property and the shed as they existed prior to the dig being carried out.
Our pictures, taken on Thursday, reveal that the garage was completely demolished during the dig and show workmen carrying out remedial works to level out the grounds before construction can take place to restore it to its former state.
A builder on the site this week praised the current owners for facilitating gardai in carrying out the search.
'They're a lovely family,' he said. 'It's obviously heartbreaking for them to have this occur given all the work and money they put in.
'But they couldn't have been more accommodating when gardai explained why it was necessary. It's just a shame no trace of Annie was found.'
A neighbour revealed to the Sunday World how during the dig gardai removed four extra-large skips of concrete and rubble.
'It was a huge job,' he said.
'There was a garage in the back where the owner kept motorbikes,' he said, 'and that's completely gone.
'That's what they knocked down. You see the skip out the front there full of rubble? They filled four of them.
A builder on site said four skips of rubble were filled during the dig at the property in Clondalkin
'The family [living] there now are decent people … they've been in there around 12 years.
'When they bought the property, they knocked down the existing house and built that house there instead.
'It's sad for them to have this happen but I suppose they understood why gardai needed to go in there and rule it out.
'Everyone is thinking about Annie's mother over in America.
'She's been waiting for word on her daughter for a very long time and people around here would be very aware of the case, so there's a lot of sadness and disappointment this didn't yield any results for her.'
Sources confirmed in the wake of the search being wound down earlier this week that nothing of an evidential nature had been discovered.
It's further understood that while new intelligence had prompted the recent developments, the search itself was speculative and investigators could not guarantee in advance that if it would lead to a breakthrough in the 32-year-old case.
A source said: 'Much has been made in recent months of gardai failing to carry out an invasive and thorough search of the property in Youghal after Tina Satchwell disappeared.
'There was a lot of criticism of gardai for that.
'So, even though the search carried out over the past number of weeks didn't yield a result in Annie McCarrick's case, I don't think anyone can be critical of gardai for carrying it out.'
The property in Clondalkin was formerly linked to a person of interest in the Annie's 1993 disappearance.
He was arrested on the morning the search got underway.
It's understood he denied any wrongdoing and was released without charge the following day after being questioned for 24 hours.
The dig at the property in Clondalkin
The man, who is now in his 60s, knew Ms McCarrick, a 26-year-old from New York, prior to her disappearance.
When the Sunday World called to his gated country home last week, a woman living at the property said over intercom that he did not reside there.
The demolished garage at rear of the property formerly linked to 'a person of interest'
Today's News in 90 Seconds - June 30th
In a statement issued earlier this week, a garda spokesperson said: 'Gardai continue to appeal to any person who may have previously come forward who felt they could not provide gardai with all the information they had in relation to this matter, to contact the investigation team again.
'With the passage of time they may now be in a position to speak further with the investigation team.'
The investigation into the disappearance and murder of Annie McCarrick is being carried out by an investigation team from DMR South Central Division Serious Crime Unit based at Irishtown Garda Station under the direction of a Senior Investigating Officer, assisted by the Serious Crime Review Team and Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Gardai continue to believe Annie was killed on the day her flat mates last saw her alive — March 26, 1993.
And investigators are operating on the theory that her remains had already been buried by the time she was reported missing two days later.
A man identified as a person of interest in the case was spoken to as part of the original investigation.
However, he was able to provide gardai with an alibi.
Friends of Annie claim that prior to her death she had told them she felt harassed by the man and that he had struck her during an argument.
In recent years, investigators have focused on this individual and have contacted a number of people close to him in a bid to test the strength of the alibis he provided to gardai at the time.
His arrest earlier this month is the first to have been made in the 32 years since Annie disappeared.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Irishtown Garda Station on 01 666 9600 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
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Dramatic aerial photos released showing dig for tragic murdered student Annie McCarrick
Our aerial photos show how gardai demolished garage at rear of property formerly linked to 'a person of interest' The dig at the property in Clondalkin The dig at the property in Clondalkin A builder on site said four skips of rubble were filled during the dig at the property in Clondalkin The demolished garage at rear of the property formerly linked to 'a person of interest' The are the dramatic aerial photographs that show how gardai literally left no stone unturned during an invasive two week dig for the remains of murdered US student Annie McCarrick. The images, captured by Sunday World this week, reveal how officers completely demolished an 80sqm garage at the rear of a residential property in west Dublin, while also levelling trees. The current owners, who purchased the home in 2011 at a cost of €310,000, are in no way linked to the investigation into Annie's disappearance. Planning records obtained by the Sunday World show how after purchasing the property they were granted permission to build a new and modern two-storey home on the site, together with an 80sqm garage on the substantial rear garden. Gardai believe Annie was murdered Google Earth images show the property and the shed as they existed prior to the dig being carried out. Our pictures, taken on Thursday, reveal that the garage was completely demolished during the dig and show workmen carrying out remedial works to level out the grounds before construction can take place to restore it to its former state. A builder on the site this week praised the current owners for facilitating gardai in carrying out the search. 'They're a lovely family,' he said. 'It's obviously heartbreaking for them to have this occur given all the work and money they put in. 'But they couldn't have been more accommodating when gardai explained why it was necessary. It's just a shame no trace of Annie was found.' A neighbour revealed to the Sunday World how during the dig gardai removed four extra-large skips of concrete and rubble. 'It was a huge job,' he said. 'There was a garage in the back where the owner kept motorbikes,' he said, 'and that's completely gone. 'That's what they knocked down. You see the skip out the front there full of rubble? They filled four of them. A builder on site said four skips of rubble were filled during the dig at the property in Clondalkin 'The family [living] there now are decent people … they've been in there around 12 years. 'When they bought the property, they knocked down the existing house and built that house there instead. 'It's sad for them to have this happen but I suppose they understood why gardai needed to go in there and rule it out. 'Everyone is thinking about Annie's mother over in America. 'She's been waiting for word on her daughter for a very long time and people around here would be very aware of the case, so there's a lot of sadness and disappointment this didn't yield any results for her.' Sources confirmed in the wake of the search being wound down earlier this week that nothing of an evidential nature had been discovered. It's further understood that while new intelligence had prompted the recent developments, the search itself was speculative and investigators could not guarantee in advance that if it would lead to a breakthrough in the 32-year-old case. A source said: 'Much has been made in recent months of gardai failing to carry out an invasive and thorough search of the property in Youghal after Tina Satchwell disappeared. 'There was a lot of criticism of gardai for that. 'So, even though the search carried out over the past number of weeks didn't yield a result in Annie McCarrick's case, I don't think anyone can be critical of gardai for carrying it out.' The property in Clondalkin was formerly linked to a person of interest in the Annie's 1993 disappearance. He was arrested on the morning the search got underway. It's understood he denied any wrongdoing and was released without charge the following day after being questioned for 24 hours. The dig at the property in Clondalkin The man, who is now in his 60s, knew Ms McCarrick, a 26-year-old from New York, prior to her disappearance. When the Sunday World called to his gated country home last week, a woman living at the property said over intercom that he did not reside there. The demolished garage at rear of the property formerly linked to 'a person of interest' Today's News in 90 Seconds - June 30th In a statement issued earlier this week, a garda spokesperson said: 'Gardai continue to appeal to any person who may have previously come forward who felt they could not provide gardai with all the information they had in relation to this matter, to contact the investigation team again. 'With the passage of time they may now be in a position to speak further with the investigation team.' The investigation into the disappearance and murder of Annie McCarrick is being carried out by an investigation team from DMR South Central Division Serious Crime Unit based at Irishtown Garda Station under the direction of a Senior Investigating Officer, assisted by the Serious Crime Review Team and Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Gardai continue to believe Annie was killed on the day her flat mates last saw her alive — March 26, 1993. And investigators are operating on the theory that her remains had already been buried by the time she was reported missing two days later. A man identified as a person of interest in the case was spoken to as part of the original investigation. However, he was able to provide gardai with an alibi. Friends of Annie claim that prior to her death she had told them she felt harassed by the man and that he had struck her during an argument. In recent years, investigators have focused on this individual and have contacted a number of people close to him in a bid to test the strength of the alibis he provided to gardai at the time. His arrest earlier this month is the first to have been made in the 32 years since Annie disappeared. Anyone with information is asked to contact Irishtown Garda Station on 01 666 9600 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
