Four men have been arrested over the discovery of the body of a teenager outside a hospital, which police linked to a car crash that happened minutes earlier four miles away.
Tara Wright, 17, was found dead in a grey MG outside Belfast City Hospital in the early hours of Sunday.
Police suspect the teen was injured in a single-car crash involving a silver Mercedes on Ballygowan Road, in Castlereagh, on the outskirts of Belfast. Another man was found injured at the scene and was taken to hospital.
There was less than half-an-hour between the call to police about the crash at about 2.30am and the discovery of Wright’s body by paramedics at 2.55am.
It is roughly a 15-minute drive to the hospital from the crash site and police say they believe Wright was transported to the hospital in the grey MG.
Police arrested four men – aged 20, 21, 28 and 30 – in connection with the incident, who have since been released on bail.
In a statement, the teenager’s family said they were “devastated” by her death.
“Tara was a kind, funny, charismatic bright young girl with her whole life ahead of her and we can’t believe that we now have to say goodbye to her,” they added.
“Tara will be remembered as she lived, a fun-loving, energetic and vibrant soul with a zest for life that could bring joy to all around her.
“Tara will be missed immeasurably not only by us, but her entire family, especially her brothers and sister Charles, Alistair and Anna, who will never forget the love they had for her and the love she had for them.”
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Inspector Nigel Henry said: “Firstly, I would like to extend my sympathies to the family of Tara at this very sad time.
“Our investigation is at an early stage, however we do believe that Tara was injured during the one-vehicle road traffic collision on the Ballygowan Road.
“We are appealing to anyone who witnessed either the silver Mercedes or grey MG to contact us to assist us with our inquiries.”
Police have urged anyone with information to or dash-cam footage of the two cars to come forward by calling 101 and quoting reference number 227, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.