Investigation ongoing into fatal assault

The close knit community of Rathmore has been rocked by the tragic news this morning that a woman in her twenties had died following an assault.

The house on the Navan- Athboy Road, close to the local church, was sealed off as the Garda Technical Bureau carried out an examination and it is understood that the woman's body has been removed from the scene.

The State Pathologist's Office was notified and a post mortem examination is to be carried out.

The deceased woman is understood to have been a mother of young children and had moved into the area in recent years.

It is understood she was stabbed.

Kells Gardai are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the fatal assault.

Gardaí responded to a call of an unresponsive woman in a house in the Rathmore area of Athboy, shortly before 5am this morning.

National Ambulance Service personnel also attended and the woman was declared deceased at the scene.

A man aged in his 30s was later arrested at a different location and is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, in Ashbourne Garda Station. It is understood the man was known to the deceased woman.

A Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed and an incident room has been established at Kells Garda Station.

Superintendent Bláithín Moran of Kells Garda Station offered her condolences to the deceased woman's family and friends. "This is a shocking thing to happen in a small community. Gardai are carrying our a full and thorough investigation," she added.

Supt Moran said investigations are ongoing and still at the early stages and has urged anyone with information that could assist Gardai to come forward assuring them they will be dealt with confidentially and sensitively.