Funeral arrangements are being made for a 31-year-old mother of two who was found dead at her flat in Mallow on Friday morning following a stabbing incident.
A murder investigation has been launched after a postmortem examination on Paula Canty indicated that she died as a result of foul play.
Ms Canty was pronounced dead in an upper storey rented flat in the Belfry Complex in Bridewell Lane in Mallow on Friday morning, January 3rd, 2025.
The emergency services had been called to the scene by a man who had claimed that Ms Canty had self harmed.
However, a postmortem examination carried out on Saturday at Cork University Hospital revealed that she had sustained a stab wound to her chest. It was determined that her passing did not occur as a result of self inflicted injuries.
The postmortem examination was conducted by Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, who had also carried out a preliminary examination of the scene. The flat was also technically examined by gardaí.
Ms Canty was a native of Kinsale in Co Cork who had lived in Mallow for less than a year. She was due to celebrate her 32nd birthday tomorrow, on Monday January 6th.
It is understood that two persons have already been identified as being of interest to gardaí. A second property in the town is also being technically examined by gardaí. Gardaí are following a definite line of inquiry.
They are continuing to harvest CCTV from the area in a bid to further their investigation. House to house inquiries are also being carried out.
A death notice on RIP.ie states that Paula is survived by her mother Sinead, her children Alyisha and Aoibhe and her siblings Darragh, Donna, Latoya, David and Rianna.
Paula is “sadly missed” by her “heartbroken” mother, children, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, relatives and her large circle of friends.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
Meanwhile, a senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the investigation and an incident room has been established at Mallow Garda Station. A family liaison officer has also been assigned to provide assistance to the family of the deceased.
Gardaí are continuing to appeal for witnesses to contact them. Members of the public who have camera footage, including dashcam recordings, from the vicinity of Bridewell Lane between 9pm on Thursday and 10am on Friday.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Mallow Garda Station on 022 31450, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. Investigations are ongoing.
