Irish man held in custody over murder of Irish woman in Australia

Sarah Slater

An Irish man is in custody in Australia following the discovery of an Irish woman’s body in a house in the Melbourne area of Australia.

Police arrested the 45-year-old man, originally from Waterford, after the woman, who was from Tipperary, was located deceased inside the residential property in the Ferntree Gully suburb, located about 30 kilometres from the Central Business District of the city this morning.

Emergency services were called to the residence on Ferntree Gully Road just before 10am Australian time (1am Irish time) and located the woman who suffered serious injuries.

Two ambulances and four police patrols were at the scene within minutes of receiving an alert.

Despite efforts to revive the woman, who has been named locally as mother-of-three Anne Marie O’Reilly, she was declared deceased at the scene.

She is yet to be formally identified by police.

The man, who was wearing a hazmat suit, was arrested nearby and remains in custody according to local media reports on 9 News Melbourne.

A crime scene has been established in the quiet suburb, and Homicide Squad detectives remain at the scene. Forensic teams have cordoned off a large area around the property and suburb as technical examinations are carried out.

It is believed the parties were known to each other.

A dog that was in the property has been taken away by police.

Police said that there is “no active threat” to the community.

In a statement, Victoria-based police confirmed that they “arrested a man” after a woman was located “deceased” inside a residential property in Ferntree Gully.

“Emergency services were called to the residence on Ferntree Gully Road just before 10am on 21 August and located an injured woman,” the statement continued.

Police added that despite “efforts to revive the yet-to-be-identified woman, she was declared deceased at the scene.

“A 45-year-old Ferntree Gully man was arrested nearby and remains in custody. A crime scene has been established, and Homicide Squad detectives are attending the scene. It is believed the parties were known to each other.”
He has not been charged.

Police are working to establish what happened inside the home and it is understood that a weapon has been recovered from the scene according to Irish sources.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is aware of the death of an Irish woman in suspicious circumstances in Melbourne.

A Department spokesperson said: “It is aware of this case and is providing consular assistance. As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800-333-000 or online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.