12-Year-Old Girl Murdered In Dublin

A 12-year-old girl has been murdered and her partially clothed body dumped beside a canal in west Dublin.

It's believed she was strangled, and detectives are investigating a possible sexual element to her killing.

Gardai arrested a 19-year-old man who presented himself to Blanchardstown Garda Station on Saturday night with his father beside him.

He was being questioned on suspicion of assault, although the investigation is a full murder inquiry.

The victim, Michaela Davis, had just started secondary school - she attended her first classes on Wednesday last.

She was out with friends on Friday evening and returned home.

But shortly after midnight she left home again, telling her parents that she was going to meet a friend.

When she failed to return home by 2.30am, her parents notified Gardai and a major search operation was launched.

Gardai called to the home of some of her friends to see if they knew of her whereabouts, and the Garda helicopter was employed in the search which continued through Saturday.

Her body was discovered by a man out walking his dog on Saturday afternoon at around 4pm.

It was in deep undergrowth close to the Porterstown Gate in Blanchardstown on the Royal Canal.

It's not clear if she was killed where she was found - Gardai found her bicycle at a second location a short distance away.

Gardai believe Michaela had recently befriended a group of teenagers much older than her from the local area.

One theory is that Michaela was being sexually exploited by the teenage boys and young men, possibly on the promise of cigarettes and alcohol.

The murder of a child is extremely rare in Ireland, and the incident has shocked the community.

Gardai have assured residents in the area that they believe this was an isolated incident.

"There will be sense of fear, a sense of tension. But from the point of view of the Gardai, the community can be assured that everything is being done," said Supt John Gilligan.