Gardaí have started a murder investigation after an 89-year-old woman died in suspicious circumstances in north Co Tipperary.
The woman, named locally as Josephine ‘Joan’ Ray, was found unresponsive in her house in St Joseph’s Park, Nenagh shortly after midday on Sunday. The emergency services were alerted but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ms Ray’s remains were on Monday removed to University Hospital Limerick for a postmortem, carried out by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Yvonne McCartney, which confirmed that her death was suspicious. An Garda Síochána has not released the postmortem results for operational reasons.
However, the force has set up an incident room at Nenagh Garda station, appointed a senior officer to lead the investigation and a family liaison officer to support the family of Ms Ray, who was well known in the community in Nenagh.
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It is understood a number of lines of inquiry are being pursued and that there were no signs of forced entry at Ms Ray’s home. A technical examination has been carried out at the scene by members of the Garda Technical Bureau and gardaí have been carrying out door-to-door inquiries to see if anyone noticed any unusual or suspicious activity in or around the estate over the bank holiday weekend.
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Anyone with information that could assist the investigation, particularly those who spotted anything in the St Joseph’s Park area between 8pm last Saturday and midday on Sunday, is asked to come forward. Individuals with relevant video footage, including motorists with dash cam recordings, from the area within the time frame are asked to contact Nenagh Garda station on (067) 50450, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
Ms Ray is survived by her daughters, Sarah, Fran, Mary and Carmel. She was predeceased by her husband Patrick and her daughter Joan, who died in 2021.
Cllr Seamus Morris, an Independent member of Tipperary County Council, paid tribute to Ms Ray, who he said was a familiar figure around the town. He said news of her violent death had caused shock and dismay in the community.
“People are horrified particularly when Joan was such an inoffensive person,” he said. “I can tell you that if everyone in the world was like Joan, the world would truly be a beautiful place, she was that kind of person.”
He added: “St Joseph’s Park is one of the oldest estates in Nenagh but it’s also a very close community up there – there’s a real sense of togetherness up there and they treat everyone as one of their own, so it’s a huge shock to them.”
Michael O’Brien, a neighbour of Ms Ray’s, said the deceased was a “good neighbour” and had a “heart of gold”.
“I have known Joan for many years as I used to frequent her house on a regular basis. Joan always welcomed me with open arms into her home. She would always greet me with a smile and a cup of tea,” he wrote on Facebook. “I will dearly miss her and so will her many friends in St. Joseph’s Park and beyond. Rest in peace my dear friend.”
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