A man who killed a woman who was out jogging along the canal bank at Cappincur, Co Offaly, on Wednesday was disturbed during the attack by another woman who arrived at the scene.
As reported in The Irish Times, the victim, who was from just outside Tullamore and aged in her mid-20s, had been out jogging when she was fatally attacked on Wednesday afternoon.
It is understood that another woman arrived on the scene and disturbed the attacker, with a second woman also arriving almost immediately.
Although emergency services were alerted and arrived quickly, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman was well known in Tullamore as she worked as a primary school teacher and was also involved in the arts.
A man, aged in his 40s, was arrested by local gardaí on Wednesday evening. He was being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows for him to be interviewed for up to 24 hours without charge.
It is understood that the man who was arrested lives in the Tullamore area but is not originally from the area.
Investigation
An incident room has been established at Tullamore Garda Station under a Senior Investigating Officer. A family liaison officer has been appointed and is liaising with the family of the deceased.
One line of inquiry being considered was that the fatal assault was random, with there being no link between the attacker and the victim. However, the investigation is at an early stage.
Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information on this fatal assault to come forward.
In particular Gardaí are appealing to anyone who was in the Cappincur/Canal walk area of Tullamore, County Offaly before 4pm this afternoon Wednesday, 12th January 2022, to make contact with them.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tullamore Garda Station on 057 932 7600, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
