A Co Fermanagh family’s concerns over a Garda investigation into their daughter’s death in Monaghan on St Patrick’s Day are to be examined in a new BBC Spotlight programme.
As first reported by The Irish News last month, An Garda Síochána have launched an internal review into the death of 23-year-old Kelly Lynch, whose body was found in the Ulster Canal earlier this year.
The investigation into Kelly’s death is currently the subject of a Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission investigation following the receipt of a complaint by her family, while preparation of an inquest file is ongoing.
Following a post-mortem, the Gardai were treating Kelly’s death as non-suspicious. The results of the post-mortem found the cause of death to be drowning.
However, following concerns about the investigation being raised with senior members of An Garda Síochána, Commissioner Drew Harris ordered a review of the investigation, to be led by a separate unit from the original investigating officers.
The case will be the subject of a BBC Spotlight programme to be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland.
A description for the programme states: “The body of 23-year-old Kelly Lynch was found in a canal on St Patrick’s Day. What happened isn’t clear, and Irish police have decided to review the case after her parents raised questions about their handling of the investigation. Were clues missed?”
Kelly’s mother Julieanne Lynch has initiated a social media campaign in the months following her daughter’s death in order to highlight her family’s concerns over the investigation.
The family say they last saw Kelly on Wednesday, March 13 and that she had gone for a night out in Monaghan on Friday, March 15.
Statements given to An Garda Síochána say that Kelly had been missing from the early hours of Saturday morning, with her body discovered more than 24 hours later at around 8.30am on Sunday, March 17.
The family say a number of their questions to the Gardai remain unanswered, including:
- Why wasn’t there a police cordon in place for more than a few hours after Kelly’s body was discovered?
- Why was there only one appeal for information from the Gardai?
- Why were there people who were in Kelly’s company in the days leading up to her death not questioned until three weeks after her death?
- Why was Kelly never reported missing even though no one had seen her for more than 24 hours?
- Why were the Gardai only called 42 minutes after Kelly’s body was discovered?
- Why was Kelly’s death never considered to be suspicious?
The BBC Spotlight episode on the death of Kelly Lynch airs on Tuesday, November 26 at 10.40pm.
