UPDATE: Body found in Louth burnt-out car was woman's; death not suspicious

A woman has been found dead in a burnt-out car on the Cooley peninsula.

The discovery was made after a vehicle was seen on fire at Gyles Quay, near Lordship, off the main Dundalk to Carlingford road in Co Louth.

The scene is only a few miles from where Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was murdered five weeks ago by a gang robbing a small local credit union near his home.

The scene remained sealed off overnight for a full forensic examination, which will be carried out this morning by the technical bureau.

A post-mortem examination will also take place on the woman’s body.

Anne Ferguson, who runs a local caravan park, said she heard the fire brigade rushing to scene in a car park behind the pier shortly after 7pm.

“I knew a car had been burnt out down there,” she said. “I’d no idea what happened or anything. Naturally I was shocked when I heard there was a body in it.”

There has been no suggestion that the death is linked to the investigation into Detective Donohoe’s murder, despite earlier reports.

UPDATE 1.15pm: Gardaí say they are not treating the discovery of the woman's body as suspicious.