Jastine Valdez, a young woman from Wicklow, was abducted in a seemingly random attack on Saturday afternoon. The suspect, 40-year-old father of two Mark Hennessy, was shot dead in a standoff with Irish police.
A horror story has unfolded in Wicklow since Saturday, when 24-year-old Jastine Valdez was abducted. Irish police (Gardai) received concerned reports of a woman being forced into a black Nissan SUV on the R760 road, south of Enniskerry.
Valdez, a 24-year-old student at Carlow IT, was reported missing by her family later that night, and her cell phone was later recovered at the scene of the abduction.
On Sunday, police appealed to the public for any information on a black Nissan Qashaqi with registration number 171 D 20419, warning people not to approach the vehicle but to contact law enforcement immediately. They received reports of the car sighted in the Cherrywood industrial estate in South Dublin and approached the car with armed backup.
A man in the car threatened the Gardai with a knife and was shot in the arm and head by police, dying from the wounds.
Suspect Mark Hennessy
The man was named as Mark Hennessy, a 40-year-old father of two from Bray. Co, Wicklow. In an interview with the Irish Times, neighbors expressed shock and confusion that he could have carried out such a monstrous act, describing the construction worker as "from a well-respected family" and "quiet."
Combing through the local area, police found Jastine's purse and ID at an abandoned golf club in Rathmichael, Co. Dublin earlier today. A body was found in an old mine in the Rathmichael area this afternoon, but authorities have yet to confirm if it is Jastine.
Defence Forces personal are assisting Gardai serching for Jastine Valdez in Rathmichael, the Garda Water Unit has also arrived in the area #findjastine #rtenews pic.twitter.com/JP8CM8jSLn
— Colm Hand (@ColmHand) May 21, 2018
This is the second horrific abduction and murder of a young woman in the Dublin area in the past week, with police still searching for answers in the death of Kildare teenager Anastasia Kriegel, who was found sexually assaulted and beath to death in an abandoned house in the Lucan area of Dublin.
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