Gardaí say suspect fled country before Killarney murder was reported; appeal for footage from Muckross Road area issued

Gardaí believe the chief suspect in the murder of Jamey Carney, a 43-year-old American woman, fled Ireland shortly before her body was discovered on July 7.¹²³

The suspect, a 28-year-old man from the Middle East, is thought to have taken an early morning bus from Killarney to Dublin Airport before boarding a flight to Turkey.

“An Garda Síochána is satisfied that a person of interest in this investigation left the jurisdiction in the early hours of Tuesday,” a Garda spokesperson stated.

The investigation has escalated to a murder inquiry following a postmortem examination by State pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan, which revealed that Ms. Carney suffered head injuries consistent with a serious assault.

Gardaí are now working with international law enforcement agencies to locate the suspect, who had been living in Ireland for over a year under the international protection system.

“The fear is that he caught a flight to Turkey and then on to his home country,” sources indicated.

Gardaí have placed Ireland's ports and airports on high alert and are appealing for any witnesses or footage from the Muckross Road area between 11pm on July 6 and 5am on July 7 to assist in the investigation.

The house where Ms. Carney's body was found remains sealed off as forensic specialists continue their examination of the scene.

This investigation is being led by the Serious Crime Unit in the Kerry Division, with assistance from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Garda National Immigration Bureau.