Gardaí investigating the murder of an 89-year-old widow in Co Tipperary are examining whether the woman’s killer may have had an accomplice who assisted them gain entry to the house and helped them to leave the scene after the killing.
Detectives believe that Josie Ray may have been killed by someone who knew her. There was no sign of forced entry at her two-storey terraced house at St Joseph’s Park in Nenagh, where her body was found in a bedroom by a family member on Sunday.
Earlier this week, gardaí said that they were following “a strong line of inquiry” into the murder of the elderly mother-of-five. It is understood she was asphyxiated by her killer some time between 8pm on Saturday, when she was last seen alive, and midday on Sunday.
It is understood that one of the early steps taken by gardaí in the investigation was to try to identify anyone with a history of violent assault in the community, and then to try to account for their movements and whereabouts during the 16-hour period when Ms Ray could have been killed.
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Now gardaí are examining whether Ms Ray’s killer may have been assisted by someone she knew, during that period, in gaining entry to the house, and whether that person may have assisted the killer in trying to cover their tracks and make good their escape after the murder.
Gardaí have said that the forensic examination of the house, and a number of items removed by members of the Garda National Technical Bureau from Dublin, will be critical in assisting them in identifying whoever killed Ms Ray, who was also a grandmother and great-grandmother.
Officers began door-to-door inquiries earlier this week to try to establish if anyone was seen calling to the house over the weekend, and at what time they called. They also began canvassing for CCTV covering the entrance to the estate, to see who may have been in the area over the weekend.
Gardaí have set up an incident room in Nenagh Garda station and are appealing for witnesses to come forward, particularly those who were in the St Joseph’s Park area of Nenagh between 8pm on Saturday, August 3rd, and midday on Sunday, August 4th. They are also seeking video and dash cam footage from the area.
Ms Ray is survived by four of her daughters. Her funeral will take place on Friday at 11am at St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, with burial afterwards in Killodiernan Cemetery, near where she grew up in the rural community of Carney.
Known affectionately as “the Carney Blonde”, the late Ms Ray was well known around Nenagh for her love of music and dancing, as well as her glamorous appearance and flamboyant fashion sense which locals said made her stand out in the north Tipperary town.
Local Independent member of Tipperary County Council, Seamus Morris, in paying tribute to Ms Ray, spoke of how the brutal manner of her murder in her own home, where she had lived for decades, was greeted which huge shock and sadness in Nenagh.
“People are horrified particularly when Joan was such an inoffensive person – 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,” said Cllr Morris.
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