A passport found with the woman’s body at a holiday home development on the Sneem Road, was British, and bore the name of Lalita Sarna, aged 51.

Gardaí believe the woman on the passport to be of Indian extraction. However, they say the woman in the house was very thin and bore little or no resemblance to the passport photograph.

Efforts to trace relatives in the UK have proved unsuccessful. Interpol, the international police agency has also been called in to assist, but to no avail so far.

It appears the woman was living at the Kenmare Holiday Homes since Dec 2011 and had been drawing social welfare. She had been dead with some days when her body was discovered on May 24. The house was clean and tidy and no drugs or drink were in evidence.

Coroner Terence Casey visited the scene and a postmortem was carried out by assistant State pathologist Dr Margot Bolster. No foul play is suspected. The results of DNA tests are awaited.

There was also little or no food and the woman had given up grocery shopping it appears. She had also stopped collecting her social welfare for some time.

“The house was spotless. We can find no relatives,” Sergeant Derek Fleming of Kenmare gardaí said.

Their inquiries has led them to believe she lived in Tralee four to five years ago, in a woman’s shelter, before re-emerging in Kenmare.

*Gardaí are appealing to the public to come forward if they recognise the name or have any idea who the woman is. It may well be the woman is the person on the passport, but they need this to be confirmed. Kenmare gardaí may be contacted at 064 6641177.