'I don't accept she died in an accident': Mum pleads with gardaí to view Kelly Lynch's iPhone data
Julieanne Lynch with a photo of her daughter Kelly. The 23-year-old was found in water along the Ulster Canal in Monaghan Town on St Patrick's Day 2024. Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEye
The mother of a young woman found dead in a canal in Monaghan on St Patrick’s Day last year hopes data on her daughter’s phone will help answer questions around her death.
The body of 23-year-old Kelly Lynch was found in a waterway of the Ulster Canal on March 17, 2024.
While gardaí had initially said the young woman fell and her death was an accident, her mother Julieanne believes her daughter was involved in an altercation.
A garda peer review into the case was launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris last year following a meeting with Kelly’s parents after they raised repeated concerns about the circumstances around her death.
A peer review is not a re-opening of the case, it is an examination of the original investigation to help identify if there are any potential additional lines of enquiry.
Speaking to the , Julieanne Lynch said: “At the moment, the review is ongoing with a team of gardaí from Dublin, and we have had discussions with our solicitors.
"We have many questions that we want answered.
“We are considering applying for a court order to compel Apple to allow us seek data from Kelly’s iPhone.
"The phone was never investigated fully, and her phone records were never accessed.
“The phone is with the gardaí, and it was sent off for forensic analysis, but only partial data was retrieved because her death hasn’t been deemed criminal.
“I don’t accept this was an accident” she said.
“I believe there was an altercation and until we have our questions answered, I can’t just accept that she fell. These are logical questions that should be answered, and we are entitled to this information.
"Some eyewitnesses have come forward to say they saw Kelly arguing with a person that night."
"People argue all the time, but we want this ruled in or out.”
The mother of six added that her daughter’s clothes were not forensically examined.
“They are testing her shoes now for a possible trace of blood” she said.
“That is a positive move. The garda review will look at if any other lines of inquiry need to be followed up.”
Kelly, who lived with her family in Gilford, Co Armagh, was staying in Monaghan Town on St Patrick’s weekend when she died.
She was socialising earlier that night with her boyfriend and his friends and was believed to have gone off alone and fallen from a bridge into the canal in Monaghan.
“I received a call from gardaí after 1pm on St Patrick’s Day to say she had died,” said Ms Lynch.
“She went to Monaghan on March 13, and was found dead four days later.”
Ms Lynch said her family has been left devastated by the death of Kelly who was a “vibrant and playful free spirit”.
“A part of me died with Kelly and I’ll never be the same person again.”
The family made a complaint to the Garda Ombudsman (Gsoc) last year when the felt they were not getting answers to their daughter’s death.
“That is ongoing” said Ms Lynch.
“Gsoc can’t conduct an investigation until the peer review is concluded and investigation file is handed over to Gsoc.”
In a statement, the garda press office said: “An Garda Síochána is currently conducting that peer review of the original Garda investigation.
"An Garda Síochána is also assisting the coroner’s inquest and fully co-operating with the Gsoc investigation. These processes are ongoing.
“An Garda Síochána appeals to anyone with information on the death of Ms Lynch to contact gardaí.”
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