Police arrest 23-year-old man on suspicion of murder following discovery of Marie Conlon, 68, in her bedroom

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The body of a woman who police believed had been murdered lay undiscovered in her Belfast flat for almost three years, it has emerged.



Marie Conlon, 68, was found in her bedroom in West Belfast last Friday.



A local councillor and detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Thursday that she had last been seen in January 2015.



Ch Insp Alan Dickson said a 23-year-old man was arrested in West Belfast on Wednesday and remains in custody.



Referring to the last sighting of Conlon, Dickson said: “It is our belief, supported by the medical evidence, that her death may have occurred at around this time.

“Officers forced entry to her home and discovered her deceased in bed. It was apparent that she had lain undiscovered for some time.”

He said postmortem examination results suggested the death may have been suspicious.

“We have launched a murder investigation and a 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, including murder.”

More postmortem results were due on the remains, he said.



The Sinn Féin councillor Séanna Walsh said Conlon’s family were shocked and “overwhelmed with grief”.



“One of the tragedies, I suppose, of modern living is that in areas like this you don’t have the same sense of connectedness that you would have had if she had have lived in a house further into the estate,” he said.

A local SDLP councillor Brian Heading said that it was tragic that someone like Conlon could fall off the community’s radar.

“This is something that people need to think about; that if you don’t see your neighbour, knock on the door,” Heading said.

“We don’t know all the circumstances yet, but by keeping in communication with someone there could have been a different outcome in this case.”

