Knifed-to-death mum's body may have lain for hours

Gardai expected to launch murder investigation

- EMMA MCMENAMY, GAVIN O’CALLAGHAN and OLIVIA KELLEHER

A MUM-OF-ONE fatally stabbed in Cork may have lain dead for several hours before her body was discovered, gardai believe. 

Gardai were last night expected to begin a formal murder investigation after the victim was found with stab wounds to her neck at a house on Cardinal Court.

A post mortem was carried out by Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan but the results were not released for operational reasons.

The victim was named locally as Indian native Deepa Dinamani, 38, who had only been living in the area for a few months.

Ms Dinamani is mother to a five-year-old son though it’s thought he was not in the house at the time of the incident.

It is understood that he was out with friends of his mother who were dropping him home when they came upon the incident.

Gardai and emergency services rushed to the scene at around 10.10pm after the alarm was raised.

They found the woman lying in a pool of blood with a stab wound to her neck, in a bedroom of the house.

Ms Dinamani, who was an accountant, was pronounced dead at the two-storey terraced property.

Garda technical experts recovered a knife at the scene which was sent for forensic analysis.

Gardai are currently trying to establish a motive for the incident which occurred in the bedroom of the house.

A 41-year-old was arrested at the scene and was last night being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.