Gardai seek man who called RTE about killing

Gardai believe a man who telephoned RTE twice on Monday morning knows who murdered the Dublin woman, Ms Sinead Kelly. The man telephoned the RTE press office at 10.30 a.m. and again at 10.58 a.m.

"He gave her name before we could identify her," Det Supt P.J. Browne said. "And we're very anxious to talk to him again."

Ms Kelly, a heroin addict who had been working as a prostitute, was found lying on her back on the bank of the Grand Canal in Herbert Place after being stabbed 14 times in the back and the chest.

The canal between Baggot Street Bridge and the bridge at Herbert Place was drained yesterday in the continuing search for the murder weapon which gardai believe was a long-bladed knife.

Ms Kelly travelled from Ballymun into the city centre on the day she was murdered. But it is believed she did not visit the family home while in Ballymun.

Her body was discovered fully clothed, but with no belongings, wallet or any form of identification.

She was identified initially by a woman garda who knows many of the prostitutes working the area.

The garda contacted her family, and her father identified her body.

Supt Browne said the motive for the murder was still unclear.

The investigation will examine the possibility that Ms Kelly's murder was drug-related, as well as the possibility that she was murdered by someone she knew.

The man who telephoned RTE is not believed to be any of the three men described in a preliminary appeal for information.

The first of these was seen running from the scene and is suspected of murdering Ms Kelly; the second was a man believed to have startled the suspect; and the third is the driver of a red taxi who may have picked up the suspect.

None of the men had contacted gardai by last night, but they were hopeful that the taxi-driver who may have taken time off after a weekend shift would hear news of the appeal.

The results of blood tests, taken during the post-mortem, are expected to be ready by the end of the week.

According to officials at the City Morgue the body will not be released to the family until Friday, because it was a murder case.

The suspect seen running away is described as being in his early to mid-20s, around 5 ft 11 in, of athletic build and clean-shaven, with short dark hair.

An incident line has been set up at Harcourt Terrace Garda station, on (01) 661-7104.