Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte spoke this evening of the family’s devastation at the death of his daughter Michaela.
Ms Harte’s body was found in her hotel bedroom on the island of Mauritius yesterday where she was staying with her husband, Down footballer John McAreavey, on their honeymoon.
Speaking outside the family home in Ballygawley in Co Tyrone, Mr Harte said they were heartbroken by Michaela’s murder.
“We are devastated but heartened by the support we have got throughout the community, throughout the GAA community, throughout the wider community in the north, throughout Ireland and across the water.”
“We are grateful for that. Thank God for great people. Michaela was a lovely girl, a wonderful daughter, a brilliant sister for these boys and we will always treasure her.”
Supported by his sons Michael and Matthew, Mr Harte described his daughter as a beautiful girl, saying “she couldn’t be better, couldn’t be nicer. God love her, we are so, so sorry.”
“We just loved our Michaela. She was such a good girl. Every father says that about their daughter, but I can say that without a shadow of doubt.
“She was a gem and we will always remember her,” he said of his only daughter. Mr Harte also spoke movingly about his new son-in-law John McAreavey. “We are equally sorry for poor John her husband whom she adored. He adored her. They did not get so long to share their lives with each other. It is such a shame. Our hearts are broken,” he said.
The preliminary results of a postmortem on Michaela's body showed evidence of strangulation and neck compression.
Police on the island said today they have identified six potential suspects and were confident of making an arrest soon. All six are believed to be members of staff at the hotel where the couple were staying.
Superintendent Yoosoof Soopun said Mr McAreavey, was in the restaurant of the hotel when she was murdered and he is not a suspect. He said investigators were examining whether her death was related to a burglary attempt.
“She had gone back to the room to get some biscuits to put in her tea and, when she failed to return, her husband went to look for her,” he said.
“When he found her in the room, she had been killed. He tried to help her but she was already dead.
“A postmortem has showed she was strangled, she died from neck compression.” Mr Soopun said the killer had used an electronic key card to enter the room.
“There was no forced entry into the room,” he said.
“Whoever killed her definitely used an electronic card.” He added: “This is being viewed with much concern by the police and government of Mauritius. We are doing everything we can to find whoever was responsible.”
Another senior officer later told BBC Radio Ulster the 27-year-old teacher had fought for her life before being killed.
“The victim fought for her life. There was a struggle in the room,” he said.
A spokesman for the Legends Hotel, Grand Gaube, Mauritius, said Michaela’s body was found in her room by her husband at 3pm (11am Irish time) yesterday . The hotel called police immediately, and an investigation was under way “as is normal procedure”.
A member of staff at the hotel, who went to the room to try to revive the young teacher, later consoled her husband as he made a statement to police.
Afterwards he said: “John is far from home, far from his family and in a country where he does not know anybody. I am just here to provide as much help as I can. This is a terrible situation. He needs support.”
Mr McAreavey’s brother and Michaela’s brother Mark were on their way to the island this afternoon. They hope to have the body returned by the weekend.
An official from the Irish Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, has also arrived to assist Mr McAreavey.
This afternoon Mr McAreavey spoke with a government minister in Mauritius and asked him to relay a simple message home: “I love my wife.”
Mauritius minister for tourism Nando Bodha said he met Mr McAreavey at the hotel, where a small number of staff where constantly at his side offering support.
“He is really very distressed,” the minister said.
“This is the first time that something like this has happened here. Those who have been to Mauritius know that it is a peaceful place,” the minister said.
“What I can assure you is that there will be a fully fledged investigation into the matter.
“The people of Mauritius are shocked. We share the distress and sadness of the family.”
Mr Bodha said he had spoken to the Police Commissioner in Mauritius and expected the case to progress rapidly.
The hotel is in the centre of the fishing village of Grand Gaube, not far from Grand Bay in the north-eastern corner of the island.
Ms Harte taught Irish at St Patrick’s Girls Academy in Dungannon and was a former Rose of Tralee contestant.
She is survived by her husband John, parents Mickey and Marian, and brothers Mark, Michael and Matthew.
Additional reporting: PA