The family of murdered teenager Stephen Lyne have appealed for witnesses to come forward to gardaí.
In a statement issued today, Denis and Lotte Lyne described their devastation at the loss of their 17-year-old son, whose body was found by a passer-by on Ross Road close to his home on Thursday. He is understood to have suffered a single stab wound.
"We are absolutely devastated at the death of our beloved son Stephen. That he was taken from us in such a mindless violent manner, if possible, only adds to the agony. We are comforted by our family and friends as well as the many other people who loved Stephen and share our loss," they said in the statement.
"It is impossible to express how it feels to know that his potential will never now be realised. We face the future knowing that without our beautiful son our family will never again feel complete or be truly happy."
The second-level student, from Castle Falls, Ross Road, was one of five children. He had been socialising in Killarney town earlier in the night.
Gardaí are seeking help from anyone who may have seen Stephen in Killarney town between 9.30pm on Wednesday and 1.30am on Thursday to contact their incident room on 064 31222 or the Garda confidential line of 1800 666111.
The teenager's funeral will take place on Sunday, The family has appealed for privacy.