Gardaí say it is likely Kerry murder victims knew killer

Gardaí investigating the murder of a woman (27) and her daughter (8) in Co Kerry are increasingly focusing their investigations on the possibility that they were killed by someone they knew.

Detectives investigating the killings of Jolanta Lubiene and her daughter, Enrika, believe it's likely they were killed by someone known to Ms Lubiene and they are trying to establish a full list of her acquaintances to assist them in their inquiries.

The bodies of Lithuanian-born Ms Lubiene and her daughter were found by gardaí at their rented semidetached home at Langford Downs about a kilometre from the centre of Killorglin when gardaí called to the house at about 8.30pm on Sunday.

They had been alerted by another Lithuanian woman living locally who had been unable to contact Ms Lubiene who was last seen alive at about 1.50pm on Saturday as she walked along Langford Street towards her home in the 50-house estate.

Findings
Gardaí yesterday formally upgraded their inquiry to a double murder investigation following the completion of postmortems on the bodies of Ms Lubiene and her daughter by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster at Kerry General Hospital.

Gardaí didn’t disclose the findings of the postmortems for operational reasons but it’s understood Ms Lubiene suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso as well as a fatal knife wound to the neck while Enrika suffered a single fatal knife wound to the neck.

Ms Lubiene’s body was found downstairs in the kitchen but gardaí believe she may have been first attacked upstairs and that the killer may have then returned upstairs where he killed Enrika who was found lying face down in a bedroom.

According to informed sources, the extensive nature of the stab wounds suffered by Ms Lubiene suggest she was the victim of a frenzied attack and gardaí are investigating whether Enrika was then killed because she witnessed the attack on her mother and may have known the killer.

Forensic team
Garda technical experts were yesterday continuing with their forensic examination of the scene and gardaí are understood to be hopeful that the killer may have left fingerprint or DNA evidence in the house in the course of the attack.

Gardaí have yet to recover a weapon or knife which might have been used and they were trying to establish whether any knives were missing from the house or whether the killer had brought their own weapon to the house.

There was no sign of forced entry to the two-storey house suggesting Ms Lubiene may well have known her killer and admitted the person to the house without fearing that they posed any threat to them.

Nothing was taken from the house suggesting robbery was not a motive. The victims were fully clothed and gardaí are satisfied that there was no sexual motive to the attacks.

Ms Lubiene's husband, Marius Lubys, who had been working in Sweden, returned to Kerry on Monday.

Gardaí have appealed to anyone who may have information to contact Killarney Garda station on 064-6671160.