Bruna Fonseca's family remember 'sweet way of being'
Gardaí in Cork continue to investigate the death of 28-year-old Bruna Fonseca whose body was discovered in a residential property on Liberty Street, Cork City.
The family of the woman who it’s believed was strangled and beaten to death in Cork have remembered her “sweet way of being”.
Bruna Fonseca’s cousin Denis Palhares said her family and friends in her native Brazil are distraught after hearing about her violent death on new year's day.
“She was the favourite cousin of all cousins,” he said, speaking from his home in Formiga, where she was born and raised.
“She was also the niece most loved by uncles and aunts and she was the daughter who was her mother's best friend.
“Bruna had a way about her and she was adored for it.
“She was always very helpful to others and she has always been admired for her humility and her sweet way of being.”
He added that the 28-year-old former librarian had always had “a dream to live in another country”, and that she had lived in Ireland since September last year.
Andressa Nunes, 26, who is originally from south Brazil but who has been living and working in Cork for the last three years, attended the same New Year’s Eve party in the city's Oyster Tavern bar on Saturday night as Bruna.
They were among a large contingent of the city’s Brazilian community which had gathered there to ring in the new year.
Andressa said the city’s large Brazilian community has been in complete shock since news broke early on new year's day of Bruna’s violent death.
“It is very hard for us to understand,” she said.
“Like me, Bruna came to Ireland to study, to improve her English, to try to find a better life.
“She didn’t even complete a full year.
“When I heard the next morning about what happened to her, I was close to tears.
“I am a feminist, and I know about violence against women. Sadly, it is very common in Brazil.
“The Brazilian community is very stressed about the case, especially women of the same age.”
Bruna arrived in Ireland last September and had worked as a cleaner at the city's Mercy University Hospital.
Bidvest Noonan’s Contract Cleaners said that even though she had only worked for the company a short amount of time, she was considered a “hard and diligent worker and an esteemed colleague”.
Gardaí were called to an address on Liberty St, in the heart of Cork city, at around 6.30am on Sunday.
A man who is understood to be known to Ms Fonseca met gardaí outside the address on Liberty St and subsequently led them inside.
Ms Fonseca was found in an unresponsive state in the flat, which is over the Picasso Hair Studio.
Gardai began CPR before paramedics arrived and continued to render medical aid but efforts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
She was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. The scene was sealed off for a technical examination by divisional scenes of crime officers.
A man was arrested at the scene and he is still being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at Bridewell Garda Station, Cork.
A post-mortem examination was later carried out on Ms Fonseca’s remains by Dr Margot Bolster, but the results are not being released for “operational reasons”.
However, gardaí have been liaising with members of the city's Brazilian community, including those who attended the new year's eve party, and have been able to use their statements, in combination with CCTV footage from various premises in the city, together with social media posts, to piece together a detailed picture of Ms Fonseca's movements and interactions over her final hours.
The investigation is being led by a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) and a Garda Family Liaison Officer (FLO) has been appointed to liaise with the family of the deceased.
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