Sister of body in wardrobe victim tells of her agony

Murdered: Joanne Lee THE grief-stricken sister of Irish murder victim Joanne Lee expressed her sadness and pain on social media last night as friends continued to offer their condolences to her.

Jennifer Ball revealed her ongoing heartbreak in a Facebook message as friends rallied to support her while gardai try to work out Joanne’s last movements.

The body of Joanne (38) was found in dramatic circumstances last Thursday when police broke into a flat in Ranelagh in Dublin after being refused entry.

Joanne’s estranged husband Keith Lee, the main suspect in her murder, then jumped out of a third floor window of the property, breaking his legs in the impact with the ground.

He is then said to have pulled out a Stanley blade and started cutting his arms.

Gardai discovered the body of Joanne in a wardrobe wrapped in bed-clothing and a sleeping bag. She also had a bag over her head. She was so tightly wrapped that police believe she was to be moved again.

A post-mortem examination found that she had been killed by strangulation and was dead since at least last weekend.

Gardai believe Lee lived with his dead wife’s body in the wardrobe for at least 48 hours before he jumped from the window.

Lee is reported to have made certain admissions to police before being taken to St James’ Hospital, where he remains under armed guard while he receives treatment.

It is understood that it may be some days before he will be quizzed about the murder.

It was reported in Sunday World that tragic Joanne’s marriage had broken down after she discovered her husband was having a drug-fuelled affair with an American woman.

A source revealed that detectives are attempting to trace the US woman whom Lee claimed he was having an affair with.

Up until relatively recently Lee had been working as a chef in a well-known city centre hotel. However, he had been drinking heavily, was no longer employed and is believed to have become involved in the drugs trade.