JASTINE Valdez was strangled to death in the hours following her abduction on Saturday, a post-mortem examination has confirmed.
The 24-year-old's body was found in the Puck's Castle area of south Co. Dublin shortly after 4pm on Monday.
Ms Valdez was last seen alive on Saturday evening when she was bundled into the back of an SUV in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow - where she had lived with her parents since 2015.
Her suspected kidnapper Mark Hennessy, 40, a married father-of-two from nearby Bray, was shot dead by Gardaí in Dublin on Sunday night.
Jastine Valdez, 24, was a part-time Accounting and Finance student at the Institute of Technology, TallaghtJastine's parents Danillo and Teresita are said to be "inconsolable" at the loss of their only child and are being supported by the Garda Victim Liaison Office.
The couple moved to Ireland in 1985 from the province of Nueva Vizcaya, before Jastine - who had been living with her grandparents - moved over to live with them three years ago.
Gardaí are examining a blood-stained note found in Hennessy's car after his death.
They have appealed for anyone who was in the Dalkey, Killiney, Ballybrack, Sallynoggin, Cherrywood and Rathmichael areas over the weekend to get in touch.
Mark Hennessy, 40, was shot dead by Gardaí at Cherrywood Business Park, south Dublin on SundayDetectives are particularly interested in learning more about the movements of Hennessy and his black Nissan Qashqai - registration 171 D 20419 - between 5.00pm on Saturday, May 19 and 8.00pm on Sunday, May 21.
Hennessy is described as having been 176 cm (5'9") in height, of slight build and balding.
He was wearing a dark coloured t-shirt, blue jeans and grey runners at the time.
A vigil for Ms Valdez is being organised this evening in Enniskerry.
Her post-mortem found that she died around 36 hours to 48 hours before her body was found on Monday afternoon.
The results indicate that the student was killed within just hours of her abduction on Saturday night.
