Gardaí are treating as suspicious the death of a Drogheda woman who died yesterday 10 days after she was found lying on the side of a busy road with extensive head injuries.
A Garda investigation team has been set up in the Co Louth town. They are trying to piece together the last movements of the 20-year-old mother of one.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy carried out a postmortem on the remains of Breda Ryan of Cedarfield yesterday afternoon. Further tests are to be carried out later this week.
Ms Ryan died in the early hours of yesterday. She had been in a coma in Beaumont hospital since she was found by a passer-by lying just inches from the carriageway of the Drogheda to Slane road at 6am on Friday, July 28th.
She had suffered injuries to her head and upper body. She never regained consciousness and was therefore unable to speak about what happened to her. She was last seen walking on the outskirts of Drogheda town at around 4.45am.
A Garda spokesman said that "despite a very good response from the public to our appeal for information we are still trying to find out exactly what happened to her".
Ms Ryan was a stay-at-home mother to her infant daughter who is now being cared for by her grandparents.
The severity of the injuries Ms Ryan sustained made her unrecognisable to her parents when they saw her in hospital.
She was found on a sharp bend close to a lay-by and picnic spot called the Curley Hole, but this is about four miles from her home in Cedarfield. Mystery surrounds how she got there and whether her injuries were sustained during an assault or by some other means.
Last night a Garda spokeswoman said: "We can't release any information about the postmortem as there are further tests still to be carried out. The results of these will not be known until later in the week. The status is of an investigation into a suspicious death."
Gardaí are not ruling out anything at this stage. However, it is believed they do not consider that Ms Ryan's injuries were due to a hit-and-run. One possible line of inquiry is that the young woman was assaulted and dumped from a car.
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses and are asking that anybody with information should contact Drogheda Garda station on 041 9874200, the confidential line at 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.