A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Mary Ward. The suspect was arrested in Dublin earlier this afternoon by colleagues in An Garda Síochána.
Mary was last seen alive on Wednesday 25 September and throughout the day was in Dungannon, Grand Central Bus Station and Melrose Street, Belfast.
She was found deceased by police officers on Tuesday 1 October.
Police Service of Northern Ireland, Assistant Chief Constable, Crime Department, Davy Beck, said:
“First of all I’d like to express my deepest sympathies to Mary Ward’s family and friends who are experiencing unbearable suffering knowing that their loved one was taken from them in such a cruel way.
“Our specialist trained Family Liaison Officers are continuing to work with the family, providing support at this very difficult time.”
ACC Beck continued:
“Whilst our investigation is progressing at pace, we are still working to establish the exact circumstances of Mary’s death.
“I am appalled that there has been another murder of a woman in Northern Ireland.
“Mary is the fourth woman to be murdered in Northern Ireland in just six weeks. This is simply unacceptable and too many women are losing their lives at the hands of men.”
He added:
“Sadly, a young man, Kyle McDermott, also lost his life at the weekend. While, a man was charged with manslaughter and has today appeared before court, I must emphasise that these acts of violence have no place in our society.
“As a Police Service we recently revised our Tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Action Plan and adopted the new national framework to align our response to this violence with that of terrorism and serious and organised crime. The level of violence and loss in Northern Ireland demands nothing less.
“We are absolutely determined that we will be relentless in our pursuit of the perpetrators and cannot allow another woman to die as a result of violence at the hands of men.”
A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána added:
“This afternoon, Wednesday 9th October 2024, detectives attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, assisted by DMR resources, have arrested a male in his 20s on suspicion of the murder of Mary Ward.
“The male is detained under Section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda Station in Dublin.
“An Garda Síochána has commenced a murder investigation in accordance with provisions under the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act 1976.
”An Garda Síochána continues to work closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on this investigation.”