The mother of murdered Rachel O'Reilly, Rose Callaly, gave evidence at the Central Criminal Court trial today of her son-in-law, Joe O'Reilly, who is charged with the murder of his wife at their family home on October 4th 2004.
Mr O'Reilly (35) of Lambay View, Baldarragh, Naul, Co Dublin has pleaded not guilty to murdering the 30 year-old mother-of-two.
Mrs Rose Callaly told prosecuting counsel, Mr Dominic McGinn BL, that she went to the scene after being alerted by the accused that her daughter had not turned up to collect their son from crèche.
She said her failure to collect him was 'unusual' and that when she couldn't get through to her, she decided to leave straight away.
The first thing she noticed when she arrived there was that the dogs would not follow her into the house as they usually would.
She said the curtains, which were always open, were closed on this occasion. She said the kitchen tap was running 'quite strongly' and that folded clothes looked like they had been moved from the table to the floor.
After that, she said she walked through the house, calling Rachel's name. She noticed doors of a china cabinet were open and said it was then that she became uneasy.
When she looked into her daughter's room, she noticed her body lying on the floor.
"As soon as I saw her I knew she was dead and that she had been murdered," she said.
She added: "I knelt down beside her and I remember talking to her and I remember rubbing her arms. They were cold. I knew she was dead." She said it looked as though the deceased had fallen while trying to reach the door.
She cried in the witness box as she recalled the clothes her bare-footed daughter was wearing at the time.
She said she knew at that stage she had to do something but found it impossible to work the phone. She said she didn't even know what numbers she was dialling but that eventually she got through to someone.
She said shortly after that, one of her daughter's friends came to the house and that Mr O'Reilly arrived moments later.
She said that when she told him she was dead, he ran into the house and went to the body.
"Joe got on his knees. He was upset. He scooped things around her head. I thought he shouldn't be touching it, but I didn't say anything. He chucked a load of stuff into the boys room."
"His first words were, Jesus, Rachel, what have you done?," she said.
In the weeks following her daughter's death, she said the accused was a 'regular visitor' to their house.
On one occasion, he told the family them they would hear rumours he was having an affair which he said were untrue.
She said he also told them there would be second rumour alleging she and her husband had abused the deceased.
She said that on another occasion, when lots of people were in their house, she heard Mr O'Reilly tell someone that the police had examined him to see if he had any scratch marks.
The trial before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of two women and nine men continues tomorrow.