The remains found during the search for the torso of a murdered Irish teenager are human, gardai have confirmed.
A major search got underway in a deep ravine behind Rathmullen Park in Drogheda, Co Louth, earlier this week - only a few hundred yards away from the house where gardai believe the 17-year-old was killed.
The remains, which were discovered in a shallow grave, have been taken to the Dublin City Morgue where a post-mortem will take place.
It has not yet been confirmed whether or not they belong to the teen, who was brutally murdered in January of last year.
While DNA analysis on the remains will take some time, officers are understood to be confident they belong to the teen.
A garda spokesman said: "Following on from searches at Rathmullen Park in Drogheda, partial human skeletal remains have been removed from the scene.
"They have been taken to the Dublin City Morgue in Whitehall where a post-mortem will take place.
"The search area remains sealed off and searches are ongoing."
More than 40 officers – including members of the Garda Technical Bureau – were involved in the search.
The area of wasteland includes a series of underground tunnels that run down into the River Boyne.
However, detectives said the remains were buried in a shallow grave about halfway down the hill.
They used sophisticated electronic equipment to find it after being told to search around the specific area following a tip-off.
The Irish Mirror understands that the youngster's family have been notified of the grisly find.
The whole area was sealed off while further searches continued on Friday.
The youngster’s severed limbs were dumped by the killers in Coolock and Drumcondra to warn off other rival criminals last year.
His funeral and burial went ahead even though some body parts were missing.
Gardai say the young man, who can't be named for legal reasons, was executed as part of the Drogheda drugs feud in a murder that shocked the nation.
