GARDAI are following a definite line of inquiry into the murder of Mrs Geraldine Diver, the mother of two found strangled in her car in west Dublin.
Mrs Diver (42) was on her way to meet a friend on Monday evening when it is believed she was waylaid by her killer.
She was found, strangled with a necktie, in the driver's seat of her red Renault car which was parked in the gateway of a builders' provider on Robinhood Road, off the Long Mile Road.
Mrs Diver, mother of a 13-year-old girl and nine-year-old son, had returned home from her work as a clerk in the Coombe Hospital after 9 p.m. on Monday.
She was dressed for an evening out and is understood to have been on her way to meet her friend in a pub in west Co Dublin.
Gardai were contacted yesterday by the friend she was due to meet and are understood to have been able toe rule this person out of their inquiries.
There was no clear reason yesterday why Mrs Diver stopped her car in the gateway at Robinhood Road. It is suspected her killer was in the car with her and that she was strangled after she had pulled into the gateway of Buckley's some time around 10 p.m.
Residents of nearby cottages reported yesterday that they had not heard anything unusual until gardai and an ambulance arrived called by the security staff who came across Mrs Diver in the car around 10.30 pm.
The gateway is brightly lit at night, and there is a surveillance camera overlooking it. Video cassettes from the closed-circuit television system were removed by gardai for examination.
The scene of the murder is about a mile from Mrs Diver's home in Kilnamanagh Road, Walkinstown, where she lived with her husband, John, and her children.
Mrs Diver was not sexually assaulted, and her handbag, containing some money, was found in the car, untouched. It is understood that after strangling her with the necktie, her killer then attached the tie to the headrest of her car seat so her body was found upright.
It is believed Mrs Diver died within a short time. Attempts were made to revive her by gardai and medics but she was declared dead on arrival at St James's Hospital. A post-mortem confirmed she died from strangulation.
Colleagues of Mrs Diver at the Coombe issued a statement last night expressing their shock at the loss of a valued colleague. There was no comment from the dead woman's family.
An incident room was set up in Ronanstown Garda station yesterday where the investigation was led by Chief Supt Patrick Crummy, from the Dublin South Division.
Detectives involved in the investigation into the murder of the journalist, Veronica Guerin, were seconded yesterday morning to assist in the search for Mrs Diver's killer.
Mrs Diver is the 15th woman to be murdered in the State this year. However, this is not an unusually high figure, gardai say.