Gardaí are exploring the possibility that a woman found dead in a laneway in Longford may have been killed elsewhere and her remains dumped where they were discovered on Sunday morning.
While initial examinations indicated the woman had fallen from the window of a commercial premises on the laneway in Longford town, sources now believe the robbery and damage to the window may have been staged.
One man was in custody in Longford town last night following his arrest over the apparent burglary. He is from eastern Europe, in his early 50s, and had been living in the town for some time.
Another younger man, also from eastern Europe, is being sought for questioning about the events leading up to the woman's death. Gardaí believe the two men may have been in an apartment in the town where they believe the woman sustained injuries to her head, face and arms.
The man in custody last night was undergoing hospital treatment after he took ill following his arrest at 10pm on Sunday. One of the men is believed to be from Belarus and the other from either Latvia or Lithuania.
The dead woman is also believed to be from either Latvia or Lithuania. She was facing a drink-driving charge at the time of her death.
The mystery as to how she met her death deepened yesterday when a postmortem revealed she was not killed in a fall. Gardaí are awaiting toxicology reports. Although her body was found with face and neck injuries, the postmortem showed these injuries were not caused by a fall, and were not the cause of her death.
She was found dead on the ground at a laneway at Killashee St, near Longford town centre, at about 8.30am by a man walking his dog.
Her remains were found below a broken window of S&D Electrical, a business located on the lane.
There were signs of a break-in at the property and it was first believed she may have fallen to her death during a botched raid. However, gardaí now believe she died elsewhere.
They have already been granted a search warrant for an apartment in the town where the dead woman, the man in custody last night, and the man being sought are all believed to have been before the woman's death.
Supt Kevin Donohoe of the Garda Press Office confirmed that the S&D Electrical premises had been burgled on Saturday night and that a man in custody last night had been taken into custody for questioning at 10pm on Sunday.
"There is no definitive connection between the burglary and the body, but that may change," Supt Donohoe said.
The scene of the incident - Walsh's Lane - remained sealed off last night and Supt Donohoe said that an unconfirmed number of other scenes in the Longford area were under investigation.
It is believed the arrest of the man took place in an apartment almost directly across the road from the location where the woman was found dead.