Parents of UCD student 'deeply saddened' by assault

THE PARENTS of a UCD student who was attacked in Chicago a week ago have said they were “devastated and heartbroken for their beautiful daughter”.

Liam and Sheila McShane last night released a statement through the Chicago hospital where their daughter Natasha (23) remains in a critical condition.

She is “everything a parent could ever wish for in a daughter”, they said.

The McShanes were “shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific assault” on their daughter and her friend Stacey Jurich last Saturday morning. Ms McShane, from Co Armagh, sustained head injuries in the assault after she and Ms Jurich were mugged and struck with a baseball bat.

The postgraduate exchange student who was studying at the University of Illinois in Chicago is in a critical condition in the Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Ms Jurich’s condition has been described as fair.

The McShanes thanked all those who had “reached out to them with offers of help and prayer”.

They were “greatly comforted” by the growing support from friends and strangers. They asked the public to keep their daughter in their thoughts and prayers during the “critical coming weeks”.

The family said it had received many offers to help with her medical expenses and had set up a Natasha McShane Care Account at the North Bank in Chicago to this end.

Two people have been charged in relation to the incident. Heriberto Viramontes (30) and Marcy Cruz (25) were both charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery. On Wednesday Mr Viramontes was denied bail by a judge and Ms Cruz was to appear before the US court yesterday.