Detectives investigating the murder of a German backpacker over 20 years ago have narrowed their inquiries to a small cluster of villages in Northern Ireland, saying they are close to a breakthrough.
Police are also now examining whether more than one person was involved in the killing of 18-year-old Inga Maria Hauser in 1988.
It has been revealed that fresh leads received from the public at the end of last year have given a new impetus to the historic investigation, and police chiefs are currently devoting the resources usually applied to a fresh murder case, with 550 orders handed to officers in the last five months.
In one of the largest DNA screenings ever undertaken in the UK, 2,000 samples have yet to produce a definitive match to a male genetic profile found at the murder scene, but between 30 and 35 samples have been deemed inconclusive, which means a link cannot be ruled out.
The officer in charge of the investigation, Det Supt Raymond Murray, said: “We are tantalisingly close to making significant progress. We just need those remaining pieces of the jigsaw.”
The last confirmed sighting of the Munich-born teenager was onboard a ferry from Scotland to Larne, Co Antrim, on the evening of April 6th, 1988.
Her battered body was found two weeks later 40 miles north in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest on the outskirts of the seaside town of Ballycastle. Detectives believe whoever killed her had a sexual motive.
Police are now focusing their hunt on a small area to the south-west of the forest under the belief that those local communities can help them find who was responsible.
In an unusual move for such an old case, officers will conduct door-to-door inquiries in the coming weeks in and around the rural region east of Ballymoney, incorporating the villages of Armoy, Loughgiel and Cloughmills.
“I cannot rule out the possibility that more than one person was involved in Inga Maria’s death,” said Mr Murray.
“I also have a report that a man in the rural area east of Ballymoney was seen soon after the murder in April 1988 with scratches on his face and that there was concern in the community that he had some sort of involvement.
“I want to acknowledge the assistance which the community in north Antrim has given to police in this investigation. We have been able to collect many pieces of the investigative jigsaw but there are still gaps.
“I believe those gaps can be filled by individuals with information, individuals possibly in the rural area east of Ballymoney. The investigation continues to make progress.”
Police acknowledge there are a number of reasons why people may not have come forward until now, including bonds of friendship, family loyalty and traditional distrust of police within nationalist communities.
Mr Murray said: “I am asking for information, as opposed to statements or formal evidence. I recognise that some people may still feel uncomfortable talking directly to police, perhaps because of their past, or their allegiances.
“I am not interested in them for those reasons. I am only interested in what they know about Inga Maria and how it can help the inquiry. To that end, if someone feels unable or unwilling to talk to police, I would ask them to go to a trusted person who they feel would be in a position to pass the information to police."
The teenager’s father, Joseph, died a number of years ago but her elderly mother, Almut, still writes to police in Northern Ireland in the hope that justice will some day be done.
In regard to the forensic developments in the case, Det Supt Murray said: “DNA science is evolving rapidly. We are now looking at a type of DNA known as Y-STR which refers to the male chromosome.
“Overall, more than 2,000 samples of various types of DNA have been prioritised and checked. The voluntary DNA screening continues and a small number of the analysed samples are inconclusive in ruling people out of our inquiries about the crime scene stain material, so more work needs to be done around these individuals.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at Ballycastle on 028 7035 0929 or confidentially on Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.
PA