A 26 year old man was arrested by gardai in Dublin early on Wednesday on suspicion of the murder of Mary Ward.
The man was arrested by detectives attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, along with gardai from Dublin. He is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act at a station in the city.
Gardai have started a murder investigation and is working with the PSNI.
Ms Ward, found dead at her home on Melrose Street off the Lisburn Road on October 1, was seen almost a week earlier, September 25. On that day, she was seen in Dungannon, Grand Central Station and near her home.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable, Crime Department, Davy Beck, said: “First of all I’d like to express my deepest sympathies to Mary Ward’s family and friends who are experiencing unbearable suffering knowing that their loved one was taken from them in such a cruel way.
“Our specialist trained Family Liaison Officers are continuing to work with the family, providing support at this very difficult time.”
ACC Beck added: “Whilst our investigation is progressing at pace, we are still working to establish the exact circumstances of Mary’s death.
“I am appalled that there has been another murder of a woman in Northern Ireland.
“Mary is the fourth woman to be murdered in Northern Ireland in just six weeks. This is simply unacceptable and too many women are losing their lives at the hands of men.”
He noted that “sadly, a young man, Kyle McDermott, also lost his life at the weekend. While, a man was charged with manslaughter and has today appeared before court, I must emphasise that these acts of violence have no place in our society.
“As a police service we recently revised our Tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Action Plan and adopted the new national framework to align our response to this violence with that of terrorism and serious and organised crime. The level of violence and loss in Northern Ireland demands nothing less.
“We are absolutely determined that we will be relentless in our pursuit of the perpetrators and cannot allow another woman to die as a result of violence at the hands of men.”
