GARDAI began a full scale murder investigation last night after the body of a French woman was found on a remote roadway in west Cork yesterday morning. Her head had been battered by what appeared to be a blunt instrument.
The woman, Ms Sophie Toscan Du Plantier (38), had arrived in Ireland last Friday or Saturday to spend Christmas in her holiday home in Dunmanus West, about three miles from Schull. She was on her own, according to neighbours and friends who saw her shopping on Saturday.
Separated from her husband, she is believed to be the mother of two children who, on a number of occasions over the past four years, have stayed with her in the dormer cottage overlooking Dunmanus Bay.
Gardai do not yet know if she was murdered at the place where her body was found on the boreen a few hundred yards from her home or if she was attacked elsewhere and was trying to get help before she collapsed and died.
No attempt had been made to conceal the body, according to gardai, and there did not appear to be any signs of sexual assault.
Ms Toscan Du Plantier's head had been badly beaten several times with what seemed to be a heavy and blunt instrument.
The body lay on the road until late yesterday evening, when the State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, arrived at the scene. The body was to be removed later to Cork Regional Hospital where a post mortem examination will be carried out later today. The results should be known this evening.
The area where one body was found was sealed off, as was the dead woman's holiday home. Gardai did not enter the house yesterday and will not do so until the scene of crime unit from Dublin arrives today.
The body was discovered yesterday morning by a neighbour and gardai believe it could not have lain on the roadway for long" since a considerable volume of, traffic passes through the area.
The victim was described ash being of small stature, blonde and slim. A friend, Ms Josie Helen, said that she was "a quiet person, very nice, who kept to herself".
Supt Bertie Kelleher, of Bandon Garda Station, said that the death of Ms Toscan Du Plantier was being treated as murder. He confirmed that a full scale investigation was already under way.