Death of ‘pure angel’ treated as suspicious
RELATIVES of a pensioner found dead in her Limerick home were “distressed and shocked” after gardaí confirmed they were treating her death as “suspicious”.
Gardaí sealed off Rose Hanrahan’s home at New Road, Thomondgate, and officers removed the 78-year-old’s car from outside her home to a Garda lock-up where it will be forensically examined.
The popular widow was described by neighbours as a “pure-angel”.
Friends said she had lived alone for the past five years following the death of her husband Mike, a former member of Limerick Civic Trust.
Ms Hanrahan’s body was discovered by a relative in the front hall of her home at around 1.30pm yesterday.
Garda sources fear she may have died violently, however they would not officially comment on speculation that signs of a break-in were discovered at the townhouse bungalow.
Officers attached to the Garda Technical Bureau were travelling from Dublin to Limerick to begin a detailed forensic examination of the interior and exterior of the deceased’s home.
A post-mortem is to be carried out today by deputy State pathologist Dr Michael Curtis.
This will determine the course of the investigation into the widow’s death, gardaí said.
Shocked by the grim news, local Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea, a friend of Ms Hanrahan, said: “She was a living saint.
“Rose and Mick were very personal friends of mine. Rose was an absolute lady. I walked down to the house tonight and everybody I met there was stunned.
“Herself and Mick had family. She was very gentle and very welcoming. She would make me tea when I called in. Mick was a tremendous fisherman.”
Gardaí are seeking any CCTV footage from nearby homes and businesses, as part of their investigation.