Investigation dogged by error and ill luck

THE critical first week of the Marilyn Rynn murder investigation has failed to produce any major suspects.

Gardai are still hopeful that someone's memory will be jogged about events on the night of Thursday, December 21st, and the early hours of Friday, December 22nd, when Marilyn Rynn was strangled near her home in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, as she returned from her staff Christmas party.

But with the lengthening of the time since that pre Christmas night, when much of the city was en fete, the chances of authentic, accurate accounts become less likely.

Gardai have already received a considerable number of erroneous eyewitness and other accounts.

Among the first accounts were two from a 13 year old neighbour of Ms Rynn's and his teenage sister who said they saw her on the morning of December 22nd, waiting for a number 38 bus into Dublin from Blanchardstown.

This, and another claim by a friend that she had received a call from Ms Rynn on the Friday, appear to have influenced Garda thinking about Ms Rynn's disappearance in the early days after she was reported missing by her family on December 26th.

However, the two accounts were eventually seen to be erroneous, and gardai organised the search of the Tolka linear park which uncovered her body.

The fact that Ms Rynn's body was discovered only 15 minutes into the search is believed to have become a source of embarrassment to gardai.

The body was not hidden but left in brambles near the Tolka river and only a few yards from the path which she is thought to have walked along on her route home.

The Garda Press Office could not say last Sunday if the search that uncovered Ms Rynn's body that morning had been the first, or whether gardai had carried out previous searches of the area. Asked when the searches had started, an officer said he was not sure and could not find out because the detectives involved were in conference.

It only emerged later on Sunday evening, from unofficial Garda sources, that the parkland, which local people describe as a haunt of drug takers and under age drinkers, was searched for the first time that day. The search had barely begun when Ms Rynn's body was discovered.

By then the body had lain exposed to the elements and foraging animals along the river bank for over two weeks. Forensic evidence, vital to any murder with sexual assault, had badly deteriorated

A prolonged post mortem examination carried out by the Chief State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, on the day of the discovery found that Ms Rynn was strangled and had been raped.

The evening before the body was found by which time a decision had been taken to mount the methodical search of thin parkland the Garda Press Office issued a press release.

This sought help from the public about an incident at 1.20 a.m. on Christmas Day when a woman, who "appeared to be very disorientated" alighted from a taxi at the Rock Road, Blackrock. This is now believed to be erroneous.

The description of this woman was close to an earlier description of Ms Rynn. Both were reported to have been wearing black skirts, tights and shoes. The Blackrock woman had a wine coloured blouse a description issued on December 29th had Ms Rynn wearing a red blouse. Ms Rynn had initially been described as wearing a "dark green overcoat".

Since last weekend, gardai have been trying to make up for lost time.

There is still some mystery about Ms Rynn's decision to catch a taxi from the Shieling Hotel, Raheny, to O'Connell Street and then wait there for the Nitelink bus to Blanchardstown.

Gardai are waiting to talk to the taxi driver who picked her up outside the Shieling Hotel that night.