Loss of Brazilian woman killed in Cork 'brutal and unfair', says family

Bruna Fonseca's niece said Bruna was 'a person full of love, joy and kindness, and nothing can erase that'

Bruna Fonseca was a librarian and worked as a cleaner at the Mercy University Hospital.

The family of Brazilian woman Bruna Fonseca say her absence is a “brutal, unfair loss” that no amount of time can heal, as the second anniversary of her killing occurs.

The 28-year-old Brazilian woman was a librarian and worked as a cleaner at the Mercy University Hospital after coming to Ireland just three months before her death on January 1, 2023.

The opening of an inquest into her death in September 2023 heard that she had been strangled. A man has been charged with her murder at an address on Liberty Street in Cork City in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2023.

Ms Fonseca was a native of Formiga in Minas Gerais province, northwest of Rio de Janeiro. Her niece, Maria Luiza Fonseca, who moved to Ireland with Bruna, told the Irish Examiner that she cannot explain the pain she feels at the loss of her beloved aunt.

Having now returned to Brazil, she said that “life seems to have lost some of its colour and meaning” without Bruna.

She added: “It was a brutal, unfair loss that left us with a deep void, something that no amount of time can heal.” She described her as “a light, a person full of love, joy and kindness, and nothing can erase that.”

Family and friends of Bruna comfort each other at the vigil for Bruna at the Lough in Cork in January 2023. Picture: Larry Cummins

She also said that while anger and sadness can sometimes take over, she knows that Bruna would want her family to “move forward with the strength” that her aunt always taught them.

She described her aunt as a warrior and said: “She was and always will be a very special part of my family. She wasn’t just an aunt, she was like an older sister, she was an example of kindness, joy, and generosity. Her presence would light up any room, and her ability to spread love and care was unmatched. 

“She had a unique way of seeing the world, always with a smile on her face and words that soothed even the most difficult days. Her hugs had the power to make us feel safe, and her laughter was a sound that warmed the soul. 

"She was someone who knew how to listen carefully, offer wise advice, and be present in every moment that mattered. I miss everything about her: her conversations full of affection, the lessons she taught effortlessly, and the way she made everyone around her feel special. 

Her absence is felt in the small details of everyday life, in moments that were once filled with her contagious energy and the love she gave us without measure.

She said that she plans to return to Ireland in the coming months and said: “I really like living in Ireland, regardless of this traumatic experience”.

The man charged with Bruna Fonseca’s murder is due to go on trial in June next year. Her niece said, however, that any trial will “not make up for the loss of our Bruna”.

Following her death, Maria attended a vigil organised in her memory at the Lough, one of Bruna’s favourite places in Cork City.