THE POSTMORTEM on the remains of Celine Cawley has concluded the 46-year-old from Howth, north Dublin, died of head injuries consistent with being hit a number of times with a heavy object.
The Irish Times has learned that gardaí are now pursuing a definite line of inquiry in the search for the dead woman's killer.
A number of witnesses have come forward to report sightings of men walking in the area of the murder scene at Windgate Road on Howth Head at about 10am on Monday, when gardaí believe Ms Cawley was killed in her home.
Gardaí were hopeful some of the sightings could be the intruder who the dead woman's husband, Eamon Lillis, saw attacking his wife. However, so far the various sightings of people have all been innocently accounted for by other witnesses.
No evidence of value relating to the masked man has emerged from interviews with local people.
However, gardaí are following other information about the killing. They have been told that the intruder attacked Ms Cawley and then Mr Lillis, after Mr Lillis disturbed the attack on his wife.
The search continues for the man described by Mr Lillis as being in his late 20s or early 30s and is of slight but strong build. There were no signs of a break-in at the house and nothing appears to be missing from the property.
A number of items were taken from the house by gardaí on Monday and throughout yesterday for the purposes of undergoing forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.
The substantial family home on the southern slopes of Howth will undergo a third day of forensic testing today. Gardaí believe Ms Cawley struggled with her killer and that his DNA may be under her fingernails.
Samples taken from her remains yesterday and from the house will be tested for DNA, which may lead to a breakthrough when a suspect is arrested. A bloodstained brick taken from the scene is being examined and gardaí believe it is the murder weapon.
The summit area of Howth Head remained sealed off yesterday as gardaí continued extensive searches on roads and laneways. They are searching for a balaclava Mr Lillis said the intruder was wearing.
Mr Lillis raised the alarm after he returned from leaving his daughter to school and walking his dogs on Monday morning to find a masked man attacking his wife on the patio at the back of the house.
He sustained some minor injuries to his head as he tackled the intruder. He told gardaí the intruder then ran down the back garden of the house into a laneway towards Carrickbrack Road, at which point Mr Lillis rang the emergency services.
When gardaí arrived at the murder scene just after 10am they found Ms Cawley unconscious on the patio in her night attire. She was taken by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
Mr Lillis and his 16-year-old daughter were spoken to by investigators on Monday and yesterday, as is usual with family members of a murder victim. It is believed they are staying with relatives until gardaí allow them return home.
The dead woman was the founder and managing director of Toytown Films, which is based in Windmill Lane, Dublin 2. Mr Lillis works for the company. The company's previous work includes adverts for global brands such as Coca Cola, Heineken and 02.