Gardaí investigating the murder of Rachel O'Reilly were last night continuing to question a woman about the killing. A man who was known to Ms O'Reilly and is the chief suspect in the case was released without charge before 9.30pm.
A detective working on the murder inquiry has given the strongest indication yet that the 18-month long investigation has entered its final phase.
Appearing at the inquest in Tallaght into Ms O'Reilly's murder, Det Insp Oliver Keegan from Balbriggan Garda station asked coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty for a six-month adjournment to allow the investigation to take its course.
It is now likely that a file on the murder will soon be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for a decision on whether a prosecution can be pursued.
Two houses were examined as part of yesterday's operation. At one house a septic tank was drained in the search for the murder weapon.
Ms O'Reilly (30) was found dead at her home in Baldarragh, Naul, Co Dublin, on October 4th, 2004, by her mother. The alarm was raised when Ms O'Reilly failed to collect one of her two children from a creche.
Gardaí believe she was killed shortly after returning home that morning at about 9.30am. A post-mortem later revealed she had died from head wounds inflicted by a blunt instrument.
The 35-year-old chief suspect and the 37-year-old woman detained by gardaí yesterday have been arrested before in connection with the murder. They were released without charge in November 2004.
New evidence has been gathered enabling gardaí to arrest them both again.
In the immediate aftermath of the murder gardaí believed they had evidence relating to the suspect's mobile phone. They believed that evidence put the suspect at or around the murder scene at the time of the killing.
Gardaí believe they can now track the phone going to and from the house. The time of the journeys fit with the time of the killing. They have also gathered new evidence regarding calls to and from the suspect's phone on the morning in question.
The suspect previously told gardaí he had his mobile phone with him on the morning of the killing. He denied either he or the phone were near the house. He claims he was in Dublin city working with a colleague at the time. However, the new telephone evidence contradicts this alibi.
CCTV images in north Dublin recorded on the morning of the killing show the suspect's car going to and from the scene. The times of the movements of the car put the suspect in the area at the time of the killing.
Gardaí have also located all of the owners in Ireland of the same model of car as the suspect. They are now satisfied that none of these cars was in the area at the time of the murder.
Twelve months ago, after an earlier adjournment of Rachel O'Reilly's inquest, gardaí exhumed her body. They recovered a note from the coffin which was left by the suspect. However, it was unclear what incriminating evidence, if any, has emerged as a result of this.
The chief suspect was arrested in Dublin at about 9.30am yesterday. He was detained at Drogheda Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. Gardaí were entitled to hold him for 12 hours without charge.
The woman being questioned last night is in a relationship with the chief suspect. She was arrested in Dublin on suspicion of withholding information at about 3.30pm and taken to Drogheda. She can be detained without charge for 72 hours.