Murder hunt after mother beaten to death in home
The woman was discovered in her home in east Cork yesterday morning and is believed to have died from serious head injuries.
She was named locally as Catherine ‘Cathy’ Smart of Bailick Court in Midleton.
Gardaí were called to the woman’s home, in a terrace of bungalows, following a 999 call which they received at approximately 9.45am yesterday.
She was found in the sitting room of the house – near Chadwick’s builders providers in the south-eastern side of the town.
Ms Smart is believed to have lived in Midleton for around 20 years, but was originally from north Cork.
A local doctor attended the scene and pronounced the woman dead, while a priest was called to give her the last rites.
Midleton Gardaí immediately sealed off the bungalow and following a preliminary examination, senior gardaí called for the assistance of State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy, who travelled from Dublin to the scene.
In addition, members of the Garda Technical Bureau also travelled from the capital to carry out forensic tests on the house and the immediate area surrounding it. They remained there last night.
A separated mother of three, Ms Smart was understood to have been living at the house with her partner.
She has three children in their 20s, who are believed to be living in Wales.
Gardaí were trying to contact her son and two daughters last night to inform them of their mother’s tragic death.
Professor Cassidy spent more than an hour at the scene before giving the go-ahead to allow Ms Smart’s body to be removed from the house and to be transported to Cork University Hospital where she carried out a thorough post- mortem.
Gardaí believe Ms Smart was socialising in Midleton on Saturday night, and they are now trying to establish her movements, her outings in the local community and the discovery of her body.
Neighbours told of their shock at the death and said Ms Smart was popular and a familiar face around the town.
“She was well liked and well known around the town. It’s mainly elderly people living around here and it’s a very quiet area, so it’s quite a shock,” one local man, who didn’t wish to be named, said.
Gardaí were last night studying CCTV footage taken from the area. They were also carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the locality.
Superintendent Flor Horan, who is leading the investigation, said Gardaí are anxious to speak to anybody who saw the victim socialising in Midleton during Saturday afternoon and the early hours of last Sunday, up to about 9am.
* Anybody with information is asked to contact Midleton Garda Station at 021-4621550.
