Gardaí were yesterday continuing two separate investigations into the violent deaths of a 50-year-old homeless man in Co Kerry on Tuesday morning and a 42-year-old man in Co Cork on Monday night.
Officers in Tralee upgraded their investigation into the death of Eddie Joe Clancy from Lohercannon, Tralee to a murder inquiry after a postmortem revealed that he had suffered serious head injuries in an assault in the town at around 2am on Tuesday morning.
Mr Clancy was discovered lying in a pool of blood by a passer-by at Bridge Street, but died later at Kerry General Hospital.
A postmortem by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis confirmed that he had died a violent death.
Gardaí were yesterday continuing to examine CCTV footage obtained from premises in Bridge Street as the street reopened after being closed on Tuesday to allow members of the Garda Technical Bureau carry out a forensic examination of the scene.
Supt Pat Sullivan, of Tralee, said gardaí had received a good response to a public appeal for information about the assault, but he still believed there were people who may have witnessed the assault and he urged them to come forward and contact the Garda in confidence.
Meanwhile, gardaí in Kanturk, Co Cork late last night released without charge a woman they had arrested for questioning about the fatal shooting of English-born Charlie Wrench at a house at Dromsicane near Millstreet on Monday night.
The 37-year-old woman, a native of Northern Ireland, had been arrested in Millstreet at around 11.45pm on Monday and was questioned by officers.
She was detained initially for a period of 24 hours before her detention was extended for a further 24 hours.
That allowed gardaí hold the woman until 11.45pm last night but shortly before the period of detention was due to expire, the woman was released without charge, pending preparation of a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Gardaí are awaiting forensic and ballistic reports on the gun and cartridge shell recovered from the scene.