THE investigation into the murder of a French woman, Ms Sophie Toscan du Plantier, continued in West Cork yesterday.
Gardai are believed to have a list of up to five suspects, but much hinges on the results of the forensic evidence taken from the scene. This will not be available until the weekend.
Meanwhile, a Cork TD has called for an inquiry into why the State Pathologist did not arrive at the murder scene for 24 hours, making it impossible to get an exact time of death.
Mr Batt O'Keeffe (FF) said there had been a vacancy for an assistant state pathologist for some time. He pointed out that 12 murders last year were in Munster. "A state pathologist should be based in the Munster area full time" he said.
Gardai believe that Ms du Plantier may have been murdered near her home closer to the morning time. Those who saw the body shortly after it was found believe she may have been bludgeoned to death just a few hours before she was discovered on the roadway by a neighbour.
However, they have been hampered by an inability to pinpoint a time of death. The last known contact was when the victim range her husband at 11 p.m. the previous night and was reported to be relaxed and happy.
The search by gardai of the fields around her holiday home is continuing, but there is still no sign of the murder weapon. The search has been extended across the Mizen peninsula and gardai have been examining abandoned mineshafts.
They are also examining lists of names received from hotels and guesthouses in the area of guests who were booked in on the night of the murder.
Gardai have not ruled out the possibility that the murderer may be from outside the area, including someone who may have travelled from France. However, they point out the remoteness of the area and the difficulty of someone unfamiliar with the region in locating the house. They believe the strongest likelihood is that it was someone with local knowledge.
"Where the house is located is well off the main road. It is incredibly dark and remote at night and the roads are very bad. You would really need to know where you were going," said a garda.
Ms Toscan du Plantier (38) was struck repeatedly with what gardai believe was a blunt instrument such as a poker when she was murdered in the attack, near Goleen, Co Cork.
Gardai believe they have ascertained Ms du Plantier's movements from the time she arrived in Ireland to when she returned to her holiday home on the Sunday night before Christmas after visiting friends.