Isle of Man police investigating the murders of two teenagers at the weekend have revealed that they were both strangled and died in "extremely violent" circumstances.
All of the island's 244 police officers have been drafted into the investigation into the double murder of Samantha Barton (16), who was born in Dublin and moved to the Isle of Man when she was about nine, and her 16-year-old friend, George James Green.
The girl's body was discovered by a police officer shortly before midnight on Friday at the Leece Lodge Two care home where she was living in the care of social services following a turbulent teenage period involving court appearances on charges of assault and possession of cannabis.
Ms Barton, who suffered from spina bifida and poor hearing, was thought to be living unsupervised at the care unit, which was run by the Nugent Care Society on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Security.
About 12 hours later, at lunchtime on Saturday, police found George Green's body in a thicket of trees, about a quarter of a mile from Ms Barton's care home. Security has been increased at ferry ports and the island's airports but police said they had no reason to believe the killer had left the island.
Linking the two deaths, the detective leading the murder investigation, Det Insp Guy Pickard, said the inquiry was progressing along several "important" routes. Both teenagers led lifestyles described by police as "unorthodox", and Det Insp Pickard said the investigation was focusing on other young people on the island with unusual lifestyles.
"We would urge all those young people to come forward and provide us with the assistance we need to catch the killer of their friends," Mr Pickard added.
Det Insp Gary Roberts said it was too early to say whether police were looking for more than one person in connection with the murders.
As neighbours of the Green family described the murders as "absolutely shocking", more details emerged of the teenagers' troubled lives.
Ms Barton became the focus of media and legal attention in 1997 when, aged only 12, she was imprisoned in the juvenile wing of an adult prison.
She had been taken into care when she was 10 - three years after her father left home - and was sentenced to 28 days in prison, suspended for one year, after she admitted charges of assaulting a police officer, possessing cannabis and ecstasy, burglary and handling stolen goods.
Green's life on the island was similarly disruptive and he was described as a "one-man crime wave" by magistrates. The latest in a string of incidents saw magistrates hand down a 12-month conditional discharge last October after Green pleaded guilty on counts of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour and one count of causing criminal damage.
The Manx Minister for Health and Social Security, Ms Claire Christian, said: "We are deeply shocked by these terrible tragedies . . . Department staff are liaising with the police inquiries."