An interaction between gardaí and murdered pensioner Josie Ray has been sent to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) for examination.
Gardaí confirmed that Chief Supt Aileen Magner of Clare and Tipperary division referred three Garda interactions with Ms Ray at her home in Nenagh in north Tipperary this year to GSOC.
One of the interactions was on the evening of Saturday, August 3rd, when officers called to Ms Ray’s home in St Joseph’s Park in Nenagh following complaints of “a disturbance” at the two-storey terraced house. It is understood gardaí spoke to Ms Ray and others in the house with her.
Ms Ray (89) was found unresponsive at the house at about midday the following day, August 4th, when a family member called to the property. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The other two interactions between gardaí and Ms Ray occurred in the preceding months.
These interactions will be examined by GSOC investigators to see if members of the gardaí behaved appropriately. It is expected they will seek to interview the Garda members involved in the interactions with Ms Ray over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Ms Ray’s murder is continuing following the release without charge of a man and a woman arrested late last week for questioning.
Ms Ray, a mother of five, was well known in Nenagh where she had lived for more than 50 years.
The pair, who are both in their 50s, were arrested at about 2pm on Friday and taken to different Garda stations in Tipperary. They were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows gardaí hold suspects for up to 24 hours.
Gardaí will now prepare a file on Ms Ray’s murder for the Director of Public Prosecution. They reiterated their appeal for anyone with video recordings or dashcam footage from St Joseph’s Park between 8pm on Saturday, August 3rd and midday on August 4th to contact them on 067 50450.
The arrests of the two suspects on Friday came just hours after Ms Ray was remembered by her granddaughter, Rosie as “a great woman for glamour – she was some woman for dancing and anything that was on in town”, at her funeral mass at St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh.
Affectionately known as “the Carney Blonde”, Ms Ray was predeceased by her husband, Paddy, and her daughter, Joan. She was buried in Killodiernan Cemetery near the village of Carney in north Tipperary where she grew up.
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