More than €47k raised for Bruna's fund as her family and friends plan vigil 

Bruna Fonseca

The family of the young woman who died in violent circumstances in Cork City on New Year’s Day say they are overwhelmed after more than €47,000 was donated in just a few hours to help fund the repatriation of her body to Brazil for burial.

Marcela Fonseca, a cousin of tragic Bruna Fonseca, 28, praised the incredible response to their GoFundMe appeal which was launched on Tuesday afternoon to help defray funeral expenses. By 8pm on Tuesday, it had surpassed its €30,000 target. 

Marcela said: "The Brazilian community, the Irish people, everyone, has helped us. We are so far, far from home and our family, but we feel at home here."

The outpouring of support comes as Bruna’s relations and friends in Cork encouraged people to attend a public prayer vigil in her memory at the city’s Lough amenity this Sunday.

Marcela said the Lough was one of Bruna’s favourite places to visit, and that she found peace and solace there during her frequent walks around the lake.

Julina Souza, Maria Fonseca, and Marcela Fonseca plan a vigil in Cork for Bruna this Sunday, and have launched a fund to repatriate her remains to Brazil after her body was discovered at a property on Liberty St, Cork on New Year's Day. Picture: Dan Linehan

People have been encouraged to gather at the Lough at 10am this Sunday, wearing white, and to bring white roses and candles and pray for her.

A native of Formiga in Minas Gerais province, Bruna was a qualified librarian, who had come to Cork last September and had been working as a contract cleaner at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH).

She celebrated new year’s eve with friends and several members of Cork’s Brazilian community in a city centre pub on Saturday. But gardaí found her lifeless body in the bedroom of a flat on Liberty St after being called there at around 6.30am on Sunday, January 1. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man has since been charged with her murder.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, one of Bruna’s sisters, Izabela, described her as a “sweet, dedicated, extremely responsible and very family-orientated girl” who had a remarkable and special bond with their mother, Marina.

“Bruna’s loss is taking a toll on us, something we could never imagine going through," she said.

“All family members and friends are afflicted and wanting at least a decent farewell for Bruna, since she has not been with us for over three months.” 

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, on New Year's Day.

A book of remembrance has been opened at MUH's chapel, where a black and white photograph of Bruna has been printed out and placed on a table alongside a flickering white candle.

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Deirdre Forde, said the city has been left saddened and shocked".

“On behalf of the people of Cork, I have reached out to Bruna’s family to convey to them how shocked and deeply saddened we are that her life was cut short so brutally,” she said.

“From what I have heard from those who knew her, she was a beautiful soul, and it is a tragic and senseless loss that her family and friends now bear."