Gardaí believe a woman killed in an assault in Co Laois on Sunday was attacked by a man known to her.
A suspect has been arrested and gardaí can question him for up to 24 hours before he must be charged or released.
The victim was in her 50s and the man detained for questioning in his 70s.
Gardaí said the attack happened at a residential address on Church St, Portlaoise, at about 12.30pm. When the emergency services arrived at the house, in the centre of Portlaoise, the victim was dead inside the property.
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The woman’s killing is being investigated by a Garda team at Portlaoise Garda station, where detectives are working on a definite line of inquiry. The arrested man is a key person of interest and was arrested at the scene when gardaí and paramedics arrived.
“The scene is currently preserved for technical examination. A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the investigation. An incident room has been established at Portlaoise Garda station,” Garda Headquarters said in a statement.
“A man aged in his 70s was arrested at the scene and is currently detained at a station in the Garda eastern region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.”
The property has been sealed off and the victim’s remains left in situ pending the arrival of a pathologist to carry out a preliminary examination of her remains.
While gardaí said a postmortem examination was required before the cause of death could be established, they believe the victim met a violent death.
Members of the Garda Technical Bureau were also called to the property to carry out a technical examination as part of efforts to isolate forensic evidence that would link the killer to the crime.
Gardaí have also appealed for witnesses to come forward, urging anyone who was in the Church St area between 11am and 1pm to contact the investigation team in Portlaoise.
They are appealing especially to motorists who were in the area and who were recording dashcam footage. Anyone with information is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda station on 057 867 4100.
