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A woman has been arrested in connection with the murder of a mother of two during a brutal attack at her home in the centre of a small town in Co Derry.
Victim Ludmila Poletelova (61), from Latvia, had been living in Limavady for a number of years, at an address off Main Street, where she worked at the Classic Wine Bar.
Her body was found at her home on Friday following what police described as a “vicious attack”. It is understood the alarm was raised when she failed to turn up for work.
A postmortem examination established that she died as a result of a number of blows to the head.
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Investigating detectives said on Sunday evening that a 45-year-old woman was arrested in the Limavady area on suspicion of murder.
Det Chief Insp Neil McGuinness said searches have also been launched at two properties in the town as part of the investigation.
“Ludmila suffered a violent death, which no one deserves, and we owe it to her, and her friends and family, to catch the person responsible and to bring them before the courts,” he said.
“Whilst we are making progress with our investigation I would continue to appeal to anyone with any information, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, to bring that information to us.”
On the advice of police, Kerry Scullion, owner of the Classic Wine Bar, declined to answer any questions about her employee but said Ms Poletelova lived on her own and had two sons.
‘Shocked and stunned’
She had also volunteered at a local charity in the town for some time, according to local Causeway Coast and Glens Borough councillor Ashleen Scheening.
Ms Scheening said Limavady has been left “shocked and stunned” by the murder.
“Limavady is a very small town,” she said. “People tend to know things that are happening on the ground. Somebody will know something. I hope in the coming days, more comes to light.”
Ms Scheening said she was “really conscious of the urgency for people to come forward if they have any information”.
Ms Poletelova “had embedded herself very well in the local community”, she added.
Councillor Brenda Chivers said the murder was “absolutely devastating for Ms Poletelova’s family and for the whole town”.
“Its a total shock for everyone. From what I’ve heard she was well known by people in the town.”
On Saturday, Det Chief Insp McGuinness said Ms Poletelova’s family had been informed about the murder and PSNI family liaison officers were supporting them “at what is obviously a shocking and horrific time for them”.
‘Vicious attack’
Ms Poletelova had not been seen by friends or neighbours since April 19th, and police were working on retracing her movements over recent days and scouring CCTV footage from shops and businesses in the area, he said.
Det Chief Insp McGuinness described the murder as a “vicious attack on a woman in her own home – a place where she should have been safe and secure”.
“I want to reassure the local community that we are working round the clock to apprehend the perpetrator,” he said.
The detective also made an urgent appeal to the public for information.