Date set for inquest into Jastine Valdez death
The family of murdered student Jastine Valdez will hear details of events leading up to her death at an inquest later this year. Her parents Tess and Danny Valdez were present as a date for the hearing was scheduled at Dublin Coroner’s Court.
The 24-year-old student was abducted in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow on May 19 2018.
Inspector Frank Keenaghan of Bray Garda Station applied to Deputy Coroner Dr Crona Gallagher for a date for hearing for the inquest.
A previous inquest hearing heard Miss Valdez died of asphyxia.
She had taken the 5.40pm bus from Bray to Enniskerry and arrived in Enniskerry village around 6pm on the date of her death.
She was abducted on broad daylight on a busy road at 6.20pm. A witness who saw her being forced into the boot of a Nissan Qashqai rang 999.
Her body was discovered shortly before 3pm on May 21, 2018 in dense woodland at Rathmichael, south Dublin.
Previously, the hearing heard that Danny and Tess Valdez travelled to the city morgue on May 22 to identify their daughter’s remains. A statement from Danny Valdez was read out in court.
He said he travelled to Dublin City Morgue with Garda Patrick Mackey of Bray Garda Station.
“There I saw my daughter Jastine and I identified her as my daughter,” Mr Valdez said in his statement.
The formal identification took place in a viewing room at 6.10pm.
A post-mortem conducted by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan gave the cause of death as asphyxia.
Deputy Coroner Dr Crona Gallagher adjourned the inquest for a full hearing to take place on November 4 2019.
