Irish police are searching for an asylum seeker after an American-born mother was found beaten to death inside her home in Killarney, County Kerry, in what investigators believe was a brutal overnight killing.
Jamey Carney, 43, originally from New York, was discovered dead Tuesday afternoon after her 13-year-old daughter became concerned when she could not reach her mother and alerted a family friend. That friend contacted another man, who immediately called Ireland‘s national police service, the Gardaí. Officers arrived at Carney’s home on Muckross Road shortly after 1:20 p.m., where she was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to multiple media reports, investigators believe Carney suffered severe head injuries during the attack. Sources familiar with the investigation told Irish outlets that her body had been covered with a duvet and may have remained undiscovered for up to 13 hours. Authorities believe the killing likely occurred late Monday night or during the early hours of Tuesday. Witnesses reportedly heard an argument between Carney and a man at the home the night before her body was discovered.
Activist Tommy Robinson announced on social media that Carney had moved to Ireland from New York, entered a relationship with who he claimed was Jordanian asylum seeker Ahmad Al-Saqar, and said the pair had been active in pro-Palestinian causes. It is suspected Carney had converted to Islam and regularly posted social media content of her traveling with the man. She became heavily politically engaged in left-wing causes upon moving to Ireland from New York in 2024, posting slogans like “f*ck ICE.”
Left-wing newspaper The Irish Times reported that because Carney was a US citizen suspected to have been killed by a Middle Eastern asylums seeker, gardaí are concerned the killing may be taken up by “US far right and political figures intent on stirring racial tensions in the Republic”.
There is a major search underway for the suspect, a source familiar with the investigation told Irish media. Carney had lived in Killarney for approximately five years after moving from New York with her daughter. Mayor of Killarney John O’Donoghue said news of the killing cast “a dark cloud” over the tourist town.
According to the Irish Mirror, the man had been living in an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) center in Killarney since approximately mid-2024 after previously living in France. Investigators say he occasionally stayed at Carney’s home and is believed to have known her personally.
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