Jamey Carney died of suffocation as person of interest fled Ireland: report

The cause of death of an American woman found dead in a scenic Irish town earlier this week has been revealed, according to a report.

Jamey Carney, 43, a New York native who moved to Ireland in 2021, died from suffocation after suffering head injuries, according to a report by The Irish Times, which cited the Irish state pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan.

Initial reports suggested she had been beaten to death, but the newspaper reported the post-mortem found that suffocation — not her head injuries — caused her death. Police are investigating her death as a murder.

AMERICAN MOTHER MURDERED IN IRISH TOURIST TOWN AS INTERNATIONAL MANHUNT TARGETS ALLEGED ASYLUM SEEKER

Irish police said a person of interest had fled the country before her body was found Tuesday at her home in Killarney, County Kerry, a southwest town popular among American tourists. Some Irish publications are reporting the person of interest is an asylum seeker.

The Irish Times reported Carney’s body was discovered by a family member at the home she shared with her 13-year-old daughter.

Fox News Digital sought independent confirmation of the reported cause of death from Irish police, the Kerry coroner and the Irish state pathologist. The Irish Justice Department, which oversees the state pathologist, declined to comment, citing the ongoing criminal investigation, as did Irish police.

Investigators believe the person of interest first arrived in the United Kingdom before traveling to Ireland, RTÉ reported. The Irish broadcaster said detectives have contacted airline and transport authorities and are coordinating with British police and immigration officials as they work to trace his identity and movements. Irish police have also contacted Interpol and Europol.

Despite the international manhunt, Irish police have yet to publicly identify the person of interest or release his name, photograph or physical description.

Irish police, per RTÉ, reported police said they were not in a position to comment on his age, name or nationality for legal reasons, though authorities did not specify the legal basis.

Fox News Digital asked Irish police to identify the person of interest and explain the legal basis for withholding his identity. They declined to provide any new information, saying there were “no additional updates at this time.”

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The Irish Times reported the person of interest is from the Middle East and has permission to remain permanently in Ireland.

Investigators believe the man caught an early-morning bus from Killarney to Dublin Airport — about 200 miles away — before boarding a flight to Istanbul before Carney’s body was found, according to The Irish Times.

The Irish Mirror reported the person of interest was an asylum seeker living in state-run accommodation in Killarney and that the man knew Carney and frequently stayed at her home.

Carney’s social media profiles described her as a “New Yorker in Ireland” and showed her with a man she identified as her partner. In one recent post, she referred to them as a “mixed couple.” A social media account appearing to belong to the man Carney identified as her partner contains posts from the United Kingdom and Turkey in recent years.

The Irish Times described Carney as a third-generation Irish American originally from Westchester County, just north of New York City. The newspaper reported her father died 11 months ago.

Public records reviewed by Fox News Digital indicate she also had ties to Rockland County, New York, and northern New Jersey, while Fox News Digital sources said she was a familiar face along Yonkers’ McLean Avenue, a neighborhood with a large Irish-American community.

The State Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that an American citizen died in County Kerry on July 7 and said it was providing consular assistance to the victim’s family.

A woman who says she is Carney’s sister wrote on social media that she and her mother are in Ireland for the foreseeable future and working with Irish police. She wrote that a GoFundMe has been set up to help the family cover funeral expenses.

Carney’s cousin, Ryan Fox, said the victim had been very proud of her Irish roots and had been “looking for a beautiful country with like-minded people to raise her daughter,” according to The Irish Times.

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“She was taken from the people that love her and we’re all going to do everything in our power to make sure that this doesn’t happen to more people because nobody, nobody deserves this,” Fox said, according to the newspaper citing an interview on RTÉ.

Irish police continue to appeal for anyone who was in the Muckross Road area between 11 p.m. on July 6 and 5 a.m. on July 7 and who may have CCTV or dashcam footage to contact investigators.