Court adjourns inquest into woman's death

An inquest into the death last October of Dublin woman Rachel O'Reilly has been adjourned to allow gardaí more time to investigate the case.

Yesterday at a sitting in Tallaght of the Dublin County Coroner's Court, Supt Tom Gallagher, of Balbriggan Garda station, applied for a six month adjournment.

He told coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty that the death of Ms O'Reilly was the subject of ongoing inquiries.

He said a file on the matter had not yet been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Solicitor Peter Mullen, representing the dead woman's husband Joe O'Reilly, said he had no objection to the adjournment.

The case was rescheduled for March 14th next.

Ms O'Reilly, a 30-year-old mother of two, was found dead at her home in Baldarragh near Naul village by her mother, Rose Callely, on October 4th last.

The alarm was raised when Ms O'Reilly failed to collect one of her children from a creche.

She was killed after receiving several blows to the head with a blunt instrument.

When Ms Callely went to the house, she found her daughter dead in the bedroom. Gardaí believe she was killed shortly after returning to her home that morning.

Although the scene of the crime suggested a break-in, Ms Callely said she felt the robbery was staged.

Money in Ms O'Reilly's purse was untouched.

Towels and a camera were the only items missing from the house.

Three people, including a suspect, a male colleague and a female friend, were arrested and questioned by gardaí last November.

The three were later released without charge.

Last March gardaí exhumed the dead woman's grave after they received information that a note had been placed in her coffin shortly before burial.

Investigating gardaí believe they have one piece of evidence which puts a suspect at or about the house at the time of the killing.