Photograph: Dara MacDonaill
Gardaí have named the young mother who was found dead in suspicious circumstances in her north Co Dublin home yesterday.
Rachel O'Reilly (32) was found dead in her bungalow at Baldarragh, in the rural outskirts of the village of Naul, shortly before 2.30 p.m. yesterday.
Initial reports indicated that the woman may have suffered head injuries. Her body is to be removed to the city morgue in Marino today where a full post mortem will take place.
The alarm was raised yesterday after she failed to collect her two-year-old child from a local Montessori school. The school contacted the woman's husband, who contacted his mother-in-law.
The woman called to the house with a neighbour and found the body of her daughter in a downstairs bedroom, off the hallway.
Gardaí said there were signs of a possible break-in. However, they said it was not clear last night whether anything had been taken.
The State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, arrived at the scene yesterday evening and the area was sealed off pending a technical examination. Officers left the house with evidence bags today while others searched the area with slash hooks.
Gardaí said they were awaiting the results of the post-mortem before deciding how to proceed with the case. Last night, however, they said foul play could not be ruled out.
The woman and her husband and children had moved to the area from north Dublin city about a year ago. The couple's second child was reportedly with a minder at the time of the death.
Supt Tom Gallagher of Balbriggan Garda station, who is leading the investigation, said gardaí were particularly anxious to speak to anyone who was in the area between 8 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. yesterday.
He stressed that any information received by gardaí would be dealt with in the strictest confidence. Balbriggan Garda station can be contacted at: 01-8020510.