Irish police are seeking Ahmad Al-Saqar, 28, described as a person of significant interest in the death of his girlfriend, Jamey Carney, 43, an American national. Carney was discovered dead on Tuesday at her rented home in Killarney, County Kerry. Initial reports indicated she had suffered significant head injuries and was found under a duvet, with some outlets suggesting her 13-year-old daughter made the discovery. A postmortem examination later confirmed the cause of death was suffocation.
Al-Saqar, who arrived in Ireland in 2024 and applied for asylum, is believed to have left the country shortly before Carney's body was found. He reportedly took a bus to Dublin Airport around 3 a.m. on Tuesday and boarded a flight to Istanbul approximately 10:50 a.m., hours before police were alerted to the killing. This departure is thought to have given him a substantial head start in evading authorities.
Carney and Al-Saqar reportedly met approximately 18 months prior at a pro-Palestinian protest in Ireland. Carney, originally from Westchester County, New York, had moved to Ireland with her daughter in May 2021. She held both American and Irish citizenship and had family ties to County Kerry.
Authorities are concerned that the case could be exploited to incite racial tensions, given the differing nationalities and backgrounds of the victim and the person of interest. Police are cooperating with international law enforcement agencies, including Interpol and Europol, to locate Al-Saqar. His current whereabouts are unknown, with investigators examining possibilities that he may have remained in Turkey or traveled onward to another Middle Eastern country.
Locals reported hearing a loud argument at Carney's home the night before her body was discovered. Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and examining Al-Saqar's digital footprint, including social media activity and telecommunications data, to retrace his movements. A forensic examination of Carney's home is ongoing.
Carney had shared positive sentiments about Al-Saqar on social media, referring to him as "the most kind and emotionally intelligent, self-aware person I have ever known." She described herself as a "New Yorker in Ireland" and referred to their relationship as "mixed."