Man held in Kerry double murder inquiry

Gardaí investigating the murder of a mother and her daughter in Co Kerry were last night continuing to question a 40-year-old man whom they believe may have information about a possible suspect for the killings.

Detectives arrested the man at about 3.30am yesterday at his home in Killorglin on suspicion of withholding information about the murders of Jolanta Lubiene (27) and her daughter Enrika (8).

He was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act which allows gardaí detain suspects for up to seven days and he was brought to Killarney Garda station where gardaí were still questioning him last night.

The bodies of Ms Lubiene and her daughter were found in their rented home at Langford Downs in Killorglin at about 8.30pm on Sunday June 16th when gardaí called to the house after a friend of the dead woman was unable to contact her.

First arrest
Gardaí believe the mother and daughter were killed some time between 2.30pm and 6pm on Saturday, June 15th and yesterday gardaí made their first arrest in the case after a week of intensive investigations and inquiries.

Detectives were last night questioning the man with the assistance of a Lithuanian interpreter about whether he may have information on how a possible suspect in the case may have left the country.

Dating website
Gardaí have established that Ms Lubiene had posted messages on a dating website after her husband, Marius Lubys, went to work in Sweden some six months ago and gardaí initially focused on people she may have met through that website.

But gardaí have also established Ms Lubiene had befriended another Lithuanian man separately from those whom she met through the website and that he may have come to her house to confront her about posting messages on a dating website.

One theory which gardaí are examining is whether the man attacked Ms Lubiene in a jealous rage upstairs, stabbing her repeatedly as she tried to flee downstairs before going back upstairs to kill Enrika, who would have been able to identify him.

It is understood that gardaí have established that the man, who has links with a Lithuanian crime gang in Dublin, left the country last weekend catching a flight back to Lithuania within 48 hours of Ms Lubiene and her daughter being killed in their home.

Gardaí have forwarded the man's details to Interpol who are liaising with police in Lithuania in a bid to locate him.

It is understood that gardaí became interested in the man after checking through Ms Lubiene’s phone records over the past few months as they sought to identify everyone she was in contact with in recent months.

It is believed that gardaí then began to look at phone records belonging to the possible suspect including phone calls made last weekend which led them to identify the man whom they arrested yesterday in Killorglin.

The Garda investigation began to focus on the possibility that Ms Lubiene knew her killer.