LAST UPDATE | 51 mins ago

GARDAÍ BELIEVE THE chief suspect in the murder of US woman Jamey Carney in Killarney, Co Kerry fled the country in the hours after the killing before the victim’s body was discovered.

Detectives have contacted Europol and Interpol as their enquiries have led them to fear that the man, who is from the Middle East, fled Ireland. 

Sources have said that gardaí were working on two theories in their search – that he may still be hiding in Ireland or that he fled the country, possibly to Turkey, in the hours after the murder. 

American woman Jamey Carney (43) was found dead with severe head injuries in her house in Homeland, a small estate of detached houses on the Muckross Road in Killarney. She was originally from New York. 

She worked for a telehealth and outsourcing company based in the US and Ireland, and had been living in Ireland for the past four years. She is survived by her teenage daughter. 

She was found dead with severe head injuries inside her home on Tuesday.

Gardaí have collected a large amount of forensic evidence from the scene, they have also obtained CCTV, not just from near the house where it happened but also from the town and other locations. 

They have liaised with airports and ports, and downloaded CCTV of what they believe was the suspect fleeing the country.  

Gardaí generally cannot identify suspects publicly unless it is absolutely needed to assist. Their argument for not identifying publicly is that it may endanger their investigation in the long term and any potential court cases that follow. 

The suspect is from the Middle East and has been in Ireland for a number of years where he has been in the international protection system. He hails from a location in the region which has a good connection with Europe, Britain and Ireland.

The fear is that he caught a flight to Turkey and then on to his home country. While extradition would be difficult it is not impossible given that his home country has good relations with Ireland. 

A spokesman said in a statement today: “An Garda Síochána is satisfied that a person of interest in this investigation left the jurisdiction in the early hours of Tuesday 7 July prior to the body of the deceased female being discovered and reported to An Garda Síochána.”

Gardaí also believe he may have been interacting with his social media accounts. The suspect has a significant online footprint across numerous social media accounts. 

A source told us yesterday that gardaí have detected activity on at least one of the accounts that suggest someone, possibly the murderer, is actively interacting with it. 

The account changed from an open publicly accessible one yesterday evening to a private one. 

A source said phone tracking capabilities may identify the suspect’s location, but coordination by Interpol would be necessary to achieve this aim.

The gardaí are understood to have a good connection with the social media company involved, and it is believed law enforcement liaison agents within the company will be contacted. 

Sources said gardaí have also identified family members and associates of the suspect, and they will talk to them. 

Gardaí are continuing to maintain a crime scene at the house where she was discovered. They are conducting house to house enquiries and are appealing to people with CCTV and dashcam footage to come forward. 

With reporting from Eimer McAuley.