Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Major Investigation Team have launched a murder investigation into the death of a woman at a flat in the city centre of Derry/Londonderry in the early hours of today, Saturday 24 August.
Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Kelly said: "A fire was reported in a ground floor flat on Harvey Street at around 4.15am. Crews from NI Fire and Rescue Service responded along with NI Ambulance Service and our officers. Tragically, the victim, who was located in the bedroom of this flat, was pronounced dead.
"At this time, at what are the very early stages of our investigation, we are working to identify the victim who we believe may be aged possibly in her 40s to mid-60s.
"From our enquiries so far, we can tell you that the victim suffered a horrific attack and sustained multiple injuries.
"We know this brutal murder has caused great concern, understandably, but we can assure you we are working at full pace to establish what happened and catch those responsible for this heinous and evil crime. You will see an increase in police presence in the city in the coming hours and days, and I’m grateful to members of the public for their ongoing support.
"A scene on Harvey Street remains in place as we continue with our investigation. A post mortem will be carried out to establish the cause of death.
"We have a number of specific appeals to make and I urge anyone with information to contact us, or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous.
"Were you in the Harvey Street area between 2am and 5am today? Did you notice or hear anything remotely suspicious, or see any unusual activity, including vehicles not normally in the area – or anything out of the ordinary?
"If you have any CCTV, doorbell or dash-cam footage from this timeframe, please contact us. I’m appealing directly to the local community to tell us anything you know. We need to find out who did this.
"Our enquiries are ongoing in relation to a motive and we need the public’s help. Any information, no matter how small it may seem, could be very helpful."
Call 101 quoting reference number 225 24/08/24 or submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.
You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/.