'A most caring humanitarian': Cousin pays tribute to Jamey Carney

The cousin of Jamey Carney, who was found dead in her home in Killarney on Tuesday, says news of her killing came as "a shock and a nightmare".

Ryan Fox described Ms Carney as "the sweetest, most caring, most humanitarian" person he had ever known.

Speaking on RTÉ's Prime Time, he said Ms Carney was someone who would "take off the shirt on her back" to help another person, and had worked hard to build a life in Ireland for herself and her teenage daughter after moving here in 2021.

The 43-year-old mother was found dead at her home on Muckross Road in Killarney on Tuesday morning. Mr Fox said he and Ms Carney were raised together in the US, "almost like siblings".

Gardaí have launched a murder investigation and are seeking to speak to a man they believe may have information that could assist their inquiries.

It is understood he travelled by bus from Killarney to Dublin in the early hours of Tuesday morning before flying to the Middle East, where he is originally from.

Gardaí have alerted international law enforcement agencies including, Interpol and Europol, as part of their investigation.

Recalling how Ms Carney's family learned of her death, Mr Fox said he received a phone call from Ms Carney’s mother, Kathy, who was "very upset" and "could barely get her words across."

"It's something that nobody expected because, two days before, there was a picture posted, everybody's smiling," Mr Fox said.

Asked whether the family had any reason to believe Ms Carney had been in danger while living in Ireland, Mr Fox said they had received no indication that she feared for her safety.

"I had never gotten any communication like that because if I had, then measures would have been taken."

While the investigation into her death is ongoing, Mr Fox said he wanted his cousin to be remembered for the person she was, rather than the circumstances of her death.

"My Jamey was proud to be Irish and proud to be American, and everybody that's known her in America or in Ireland knows what a huge heart she has.

"Jamey loves Ireland so much. Her friends were like her second family out there. She could not love the land of Ireland more, and she was so happy to be there."

Mr Fox said her family now wanted to ensure no one else experienced a similar tragedy.

"We're all going to do everything in our power to make sure that this doesn't happen to more people like my cousin Jamey ... Nobody deserves that to happen," he said.

Mr Fox also said he did not want his cousin's death to become "some kind of martyrdom or some kind of political cause".

Returning to what he described as his cousin's humanitarian values, Mr Fox urged people not to respond to her death with prejudice.

"Do not use this to become bigoted or racist or prejudiced in any way. Bad people are in every group, and it is not the people who look like them who deserve to be blamed," he said.

"If you think about her, if you see her picture, if you read her story, please know that all she ever wanted was for everybody to have equal rights. She wanted to raise her daughter in a nice place like everybody intends to do, to raise a family and to be safe."