Fundraiser launched to bring murdered Limerick woman home to Brazil
A fundraising campaign has been launched to help bring the body of Jady Cristine Pereira Rosa, a Brazilian woman found dead in Limerick last Friday, back to her hometown for burial. The campaign, which has raised more than €25,000, aims to cover the costs of transporting her remains from São Paulo airport to Sorocaba, as well as funeral and burial expenses, according to rte.ie and breakingnews.ie.
Ms Pereira Rosa, a 33-year-old law graduate originally from Sorocaba in São Paulo, was found dead at an apartment on Lower Cecil Street in Limerick on the morning of Friday, August 21. She had been living in Limerick and working as a cleaner. Her employer has agreed to cover the cost of transporting her body from Ireland to Brazil, but her family still faces significant costs once she arrives, as reported by the Irish Mirror and rte.ie.
Friends of Ms Pereira Rosa raised the alarm after she failed to meet them outside her apartment, leading gardaí to force entry and discover her body. A murder investigation was launched after a post-mortem examination confirmed she died violently, with evidence of a violent struggle and fatal stab wounds, according to the Daily Mirror and RSVP Live.
Investigation into possible murder-suicide
Gardaí are treating the case as a murder-suicide, after the body of a man suspected of her killing was found in Cork on Friday evening or Saturday. The man, understood to be Ms Pereira Rosa's husband, Brazilian national Judismar Batista, was found on rocks near Blackrock Castle in Co Cork. Gardaí had wanted to question him in connection with her death, and it is believed he took his own life, as reported by breakingnews.ie and the Irish Mirror.
The man's body was spotted by a member of the public at around 7pm on Friday. The area was sealed off, and the Irish Coast Guard recovered the body with the assistance of gardaí. A Garda spokesperson confirmed to CorkBeo that gardaí responded to reports of the discovery of the body of an unidentified male at Blackrock, Co. Cork, on the evening of Friday, August 21.
It is understood the man travelled to Cork by public transport after Ms Pereira Rosa's body was discovered. Gardaí have not officially named the man, referring to him as a male in his 30s who was a person of interest. A Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed, and an incident room has been established at Henry Street Garda Station.
Community response and tributes
A vigil was organized by socialist feminist group Limerick ROSA to remember Ms Pereira Rosa, who was described as a popular member of the Brazilian community in Limerick and as kind and bubbly by those who knew her, according to rte.ie. The group said in a Facebook post, "We stand with all victims of violence and especially of misogynistic violence," and asked people not to stay silent. They also sent condolences to the family of Annmarie O'Reilly, who was killed in Australia on Friday.
The National Women's Council of Ireland issued a statement saying it was "struggling to find the words...that another woman has been killed this year." The council added, "Jady Cristine Pereira Rosa was from Brazil and lived in Limerick. Our hearts are today with her, and with her loved ones, for whom her loss will be immeasurable."
The GoFundMe page, titled 'Ajude a dar uma despedida digna para a Jady no Brasil' (Help give Jady a dignified farewell in Brazil), is organized by her friends, who wrote: "Today we come together for a reason no one should ever have to face. Our dear Jady, a Brazilian who was living in Limerick, Ireland, had her life tragically taken." They added that her employer would cover the cost of transporting her body from Ireland to Brazil, but that remaining expenses for the wake and burial still needed to be met.
Ongoing investigation
Gardaí are continuing their investigation, with door-to-door enquiries and forensic examinations of the scene. The results of the post-mortem examination on Ms Pereira Rosa have not been released for operational reasons, and a post-mortem was also to be carried out on the body of the man found in Cork, as reported by breakingnews.ie. A Garda Family Liaison Officer has been assigned to support her family. Anyone with information is asked to contact Henry Street Garda Station on 061 212400.