THE woman discovered lying in a pool of blood in her Co Kerry home on Monday suffered extensive neck and head injuries, post mortem examination carried out yesterday revealed.
The body of Ms Anne Marie Duffin (39) was discovered inside the front door of her bungalow at Blennerville by her sons, Kevin (16) and Timothy (13), when returned from school at 4.30 p.m.
Ms Duffin, who separated from her husband two years ago, had lived in a bungalow Blennerville outside Tralee two years. She had lived in Co Kerry for 10 years.
Yesterday, Dr Margaret Bolster, the Assistant State Pathologist, arrived in Tralee to carry out post mortem examination.
Contrary to reports that Ms Duffin had been shot in the head, the examination revealed she had been attacked with a sharp instrument and beaten about the neck and head.
When her sons returned from school, the front door of the bungalow was locked, there were no signs of forcible entry, and their mother's camper van was parked as normal in the driveway.
Kevin discovered his mother's body and ran to a friend's house to raise the alarm. His younger brother, Timothy, who entered the house after him, locked himself out after he recoiled in horror from the murder scene.
Both boys were staying last night with their uncle, Mr Rory Duffin, and aunt, Gertie, outside Tralee.
Their father, Mr Paul Duffin, arrived in Tralee from Dublin on Monday night to be with his sons. Kerry gardai were yesterday making efforts to contact Ms Duffin's family in Holland.
Chief Supt Donal O'Sullivan, of Tralee Garda station, said that following the post mortem examination a suspicious death had turned into a murder investigation. He said there was no obvious motive for the murder.
In the quiet area of Blennerville, where the Duffin family lived, neighbours spoke yesterday of their shock at the news of Ms Duffin's death.
Mr Maurice Healy, who lives across the road from the Duffin bungalow, said Ms Duffin was a "quiet, nice woman, who kept more or less to herself".
Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said that during Monday he had noticed nothing unusual, nor had he heard anything unusual in the area.
Last night the bungalow was under tight security as Garda technical experts combed the house for clues. Gardai set up checkpoints in the Blennerville area and carried out door to door interviews.
Ms Duffin was the second murder victim in Co Kerry within the past four months. In January Mr Patrick Daly's badly beaten body was found at the bottom of a well on his farm at Kilcummin, on the outskirts of Killarney.
His brother, Mr Sean Daly, and a nephew, Mr Eugene Daly, have been charged with the killing. They lived in an adjoining house to Mr Daly and shared the running of the farm with him.
The two men are on bail and awaiting trial.