Gardaí in Ireland are searching for an asylum seeker in his 20s from the Middle East in connection with the brutal murder of his lover, the migration activist Jamey Carney, a 43-year-old woman found dead at her home in Killarney, County Kerry.
Carney, originally from the New York area and resident in Ireland since 2021, was discovered with fatal head injuries on Tuesday afternoon at her rented house in the Muckross Road area.
Her 13-year-old daughter raised the alarm after becoming concerned for her mother’s welfare.
A post-mortem examination confirmed the death as murder, and the inquiry has been upgraded accordingly.
Carney, a mother of one who worked locally in healthcare support, had roots in Kerry through her grandparents.
Tributes described her as a dedicated parent and active member of the community. She was heavily involved in pro-Palestinian causes and support for migrant issues.
On social media she reportedly critisised the US immigration authority ICE and shared pictures of herself attending pro-Palestinian marches.
She met her partner, a Palestinian refugee from Jordan, at one of the protests she attended and converted to Islam. She frequently posted on social media about their trips together.
The suspect, an applicant for international protection who arrived in Ireland from France in mid-2024, is known to have befriended Carney and had occasionally stayed at her home.
He had been living at an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre in the town.
It provides accommodation, food, and related services to people seeking international protection (asylum seekers) while their applications are processed and is entirely funded by Irish taxpayers through the state budget.
Gardaí believe he fled the scene in the early hours of Tuesday, possibly catching a bus to Dublin before boarding a flight to Turkey.
Officers are now working with Interpol to trace his movements.
Checks were carried out at airports in Kerry, Cork, Dublin, and Belfast in the hours after the body was found.
The suspect’s social media accounts were later locked.
Irish law restricts extradition for questioning only, meaning charges would be required before any formal request could be made if he is located abroad.
Local councillors expressed shock at the killing in the normally quiet tourist town.
An incident room has been established at Killarney Garda station, with a senior officer leading the investigation.
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses who were in the Muckross Road area between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon, including any relevant CCTV or dashcam footage.
Migration has become a flashpoint in Irish politics, with several high-profile incidents leading to mass protests and a general discontent with the government policies.
BREAKING: “Asylum Seeker” on the run after American woman beaten to death in Ireland.
Jamey Carney, a 43-year-old American originally from New York, was found beaten to death in her home in County Kerry, where she had lived for around 5 years with her teenage daughter.
A Middle… pic.twitter.com/kvxD3aybtj
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