Man (40s) arrested for suspected murder of Giedre Raguckaite is deported from Ireland

The Eastern European man, understood to be aged in his 40s, was released without charge after being questioned at a Co Laois garda station for a number of hours on January 10 before being returned to the Midlands Prison later that night.

He was questioned by Dundalk gardai about the suspected murder of tragic Giedre Raguckaite who was last seen alive at a house in Laytown, Co Meath, on the night of May 29, 2018 in an unconscious state.

It has now emerged that the suspect, who was serving a number of short sentences for theft offences, was deported from Ireland just days after his arrest.

“A deportation order was put in place for this individual and he has been returned to a country in Eastern Europe,” a senior source said.

“A file will now be prepared for the DPP in relation to the murder and if there is deemed to be enough evidence to charge him, a European Arrest Warrant can be then issued for him,” the source added.

Deportation orders are separate to extradition orders and criminals from another EU country can be sent home if gardai reasonably believe they will commit further crimes here and are near the end of their sentences.

“It particularly relates to anyone involved in violent crime. If this wasn’t enforced they could walk out of prison and be a threat to society,” a senior source previously said.

The man, who was arrested and then deported, is one of two men who gardai believe were in the company of tragic Giedre Raguckaite who was last seen alive at a house in Laytown, Co Meath, on the night of May 29, 2018 in an unconscious state.

The other suspect in the case died from suicide last January after his body was found in a property in Drogheda, Co Louth.

The body of Ms Raguckaite has never been discovered which has hampered the long running investigation.

It is suspected that she was abducted from Dundalk, Co Louth before being drugged, raped and murdered.

It is understood that some hours after she was brought to Laytown, the men left the property with Giedre in a stolen Toyota Landcruiser and no-one has seen her since.

The property in Laytown was searched by forensic specialists in November, 2018 but last month's arrest was the first in the case.

The detailed investigation into the suspected murder has been carried out by officers from Louth and Meath who have been working with police in Lithuania and the UK where she had lived for a number of years before coming to Ireland.

Gardaí have carried out hundreds of lines of enquiry, including liaising with the PSNI, UK Police Forces, Interpol, the Lithuanian Police Force and the Lithuanian Embassy.

She was first reported missing on August 22, 2018 by a member of the Lithuanian community living in Dundalk.

Giedre first arrived in Ireland in early March 2018 and initially took up residence in Drogheda.

She moved to College Heights, Hoey's Lane, in Dundalk at the end of April 2018.

Gardai previously confirmed that she moved out of that accommodation on Thursday, 24th May 2018.

The missing person’s case was upgraded to murder in October, 2018.