GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the death of a woman whose remains were found on Saturday night are awaiting the results of a postmortem before they can determine if foul play is involved.
The dead woman’s partner was arrested after the alarm was raised in a Dublin residential centre for homeless people on Saturday night.
Gardaí were called to Crosscare’s Bentley House facility on George’s Place, Dún Laoghaire, shortly before 11pm on Saturday after the 28-year-old woman was found dead in one of the self-contained units at the centre.
The woman, who was from south Dublin, was found to have facial injuries and what appear to be ligature marks around her neck.
Garda sources said the woman’s facial injuries were very minor and they believe the marks on her neck most likely hold the key to the manner of her death.
The scene was sealed off immediately after gardaí arrived. The unit where the woman’s body was found was given a full technical examination yesterday by members of the Garda technical bureau.
The victim’s remains were examined at the scene by the State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy. They were then taken from the scene and will undergo a full postmortem this morning.
Gardaí say the direction of their investigation cannot be determined until the postmortem results are known this afternoon.
The dead woman’s partner was staying with her in Bentley House and was at the scene when the alarm was raised on Saturday night. He was spoken to by gardaí in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Just before 5am yesterday the man, who is aged 33 and from Dublin’s inner city, was arrested under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
He was taken for questioning to Dún Laoghaire Garda station where he can be detained for up to 24 hours without charge.
It is understood the dead woman and the arrested man both have a history of drug use.
A spokesman for Crosscare, a social care agency, said the organisation was assisting the Garda investigation in any way it could.
The agency’s facility in Dún Laoghaire provides short-term emergency accommodation to homeless people.
Staff at the centre carry out a needs assessment of all newly-arrived residents.
The centre then seeks to address issues with residents, which in many cases include alcoholism and drug addiction.