Man held after woman found dying at roadside

A MAN was in custody last night following the death of a Lithuanian woman found dying on a roadside on the outskirts of Waterford city early yesterday.

The 35-year-old, the mother of at least two children, had suffered serious head injuries and gardaí are treating her death as suspicious.

A postmortem was carried out on the body yesterday afternoon to establish the exact cause of death. Gardaí re-examined the scene last night in the wake of the post-mortem findings.

Detectives are trying to establish how and where the woman suffered her injuries, and how she came to be on the roadside.

They have seized a vehicle as part of their investigation and are conducting a detailed forensic examination of it.

They are also trying to trace the dead woman’s family members before releasing her name.

The woman — who is believed to have been living locally — was found lying on the road at the Couse Bridge roundabout on the city’s outer ring road, by gardaí on routine patrol shortly after midnight.

She was in a serious condition and was taken by ambulance to Waterford Regional Hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.

A 29-year-old man, who was known to the woman, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

He was released but was subsequently arrested, under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, for questioning in connection with the woman’s death.

He can be held for up to 24 hours.

The scene at the Couse Bridge roundabout, where the woman was discovered, was preserved for a technical examination.

Gardaí issued an appeal last night for anyone in the area between 11.30pm on Saturday and 12.10am yesterday to contact them in Waterford on 051 305300, or on the Garda Confidential Line: 1800 666 111.