Shock, grief and anger were expressed by Royal Canal Bank residents in the Phibsboro area of Dublin last night as the news emerged of the murder of one of their neighbours.
The 24-year-old mother of two was found in a bedroom of apartment No. 9 by relatives who alerted the emergency services shortly after 2 p.m.
A neighbour of the victim, Ms Elizabeth Tynan, was present in the buildings at the time, and noticed a Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance.
"I saw the ambulance crew working furiously on somebody as they were being taken out of the building. They were trying to resuscitate the person."
The woman was taken to the nearby Mater Hospital, where doctors' attempts to resuscitate her failed.
The deputy State pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, carried out a post mortem at the City Morgue last night.
The victim is believed to have been living and working in Dublin for over two years, and has a married sister who works in a Dublin hospital.
Mr Jim Kelly, a friend of the family, said: "I can't believe it. I got a call from my friend, crying, saying she had been killed.
"She was quiet, hardworking, she kept to herself. She was just back from a holiday visiting her family in Jamaica."
The woman had Irish residency as her son was born in Ireland two years ago to a Nigerian father, who wasn't living with her.
It is not known if the woman's two children were in the apartment at the time of her death.
Det Insp Christy Mangan from Mountjoy, who is heading the investigation, said the woman was killed by blows from a blunt instrument between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. yesterday. "There were signs of a struggle in the apartment," he said.
"This is an area where people park and walk to work in the city. Maybe somebody saw someone leaving the apartments after lunchtime," he said, as he appealed for witnesses to come forward.
The victim will not be formally identified until all her relatives in Jamaica have been informed.
Mountjoy gardaí have launched a murder investigation into the incident, and confirmed last night that they were following a line of inquiry.