The brother of Natalie McNally, the pregnant woman who was murdered at her home in Co Armagh on Sunday, has made an emotional appeal to her killer to “do the decent thing” and confess.
Niall McNally told reporters at a press conference in Lurgan police station on Thursday that Ms McNally was the “best sister ever” and “the only girl in our family and we treated her like a princess.”
Mr McNally said he would not put nto words the heartache the family was experiencing. “She was the life and soul of our family, and we are heartbroken she will not be sitting around the table with us this Christmas Day, or any day.”
To add to the family’s “unbearable heartache”, he said, “we are devastated that we will never meet Natalie’s baby.
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“We were all looking forward to welcoming the family’s first grandchild and nephew or niece into the world next year. Her killer has denied Nats the opportunity of being a mummy,” he said, adding that he was “appealing on behalf of our family to bring any information to police or Crimestoppers to help them put Nats’ killer behind bars.”
Ms McNally died on Sunday after she was stabbed at her home in the Silverwood Green area of Lurgan.
The police said previously she had died a violent death. She had been stabbed a number of times and showed signs of defensive injuries.
She was 15 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, which police said resulted in “a double tragedy – the death of a mother-to-be, along with her unborn baby.”
A 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Wednesday but was released last night.
Detectives investigating Ms McNally’s murder on Thursday released CCTV footage of a suspect who was seen in her street on the night of her death.
Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell said: “Today we are releasing CCTV footage which shows a man, carrying a rucksack, arriving at Silverwood Green on Sunday night at 8.52pm.
“Then, at 9.30pm, we see him walking out of Silverwood Green. He appears to be wearing white footwear, possibly trainers.”
He said his “thoughts remain firmly with Natalie’s devoted parents and family, who have suffered terribly and my appeal is to anyone with information to please come forward.”
A reward of £20,000 has been offered by the charity Crimestoppers. “Crimestoppers take information completely anonymously, meaning they will never ask for or store any of your personal details,” the detective said. “Contact Crimestoppers on freephone 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. There is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and computer IP addresses are never traced.”
In his appeal Niall McNally said he was the youngest of Ms McNally’s brothers and “Nats, as we all called her … lived and coped with being diabetic from a really early age and as a result we were so protective of her and treated her like a precious egg.
“And yet she was a fiercely independent young woman, working in marketing for Translink, and was passionate about her beliefs and loved her animals and music.
“We were so proud of her many achievements. “My mum and dad Noel and Bernadette, my two brothers Brendan and Declan and I are all completely devastated that she is no longer with us and really can’t believe we will never see her beautiful smile or hear her infectious laugh again,” he said.
Ms McNally’s uncle, John McStravick, paid tribute to his niece as a “gorgeous, kind generous girl who went the extra mile for her friends and family, but also for her pets or any animals.
“She has come from one of the kindest, most generous, most loving, most caring families that I have ever had the privilege to meet,” he said.
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