Gardaí have arrested a man (40s) as part of the investigation into the death of Marguerita Sheridan (21) in Rathkeale, Co Limerick on Saturday.
A van believed to have been involved in the incident has also been recovered by Gardaí and will be subject to a technical examination.
The man is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a Garda station in Co Limerick.
Ms Sheridan (21) died after a silver Ford Transit van ploughed into a set of gates she was standing beside at about 12.15pm on Saturday. The driver did not stop to render assistance and fled the scene.
Gardaí are investigating whether Ms Sheridan was struck deliberately as part of a feud between two factions of a large family.
It is not clear whether the assailant intended to kill or seriously harm the woman. It is believed the van struck a set of gates that then struck Ms Sheridan, pinning her to the wall. The investigation has yet to be upgraded to a murder inquiry.
Ms Sheridan gave birth to her first child, a son, three weeks ago.
A postmortem is due to be carried out on the young mother’s remains, the results of which will help determine the course of the ongoing Garda investigation.
Ms Sheridan’s friends described her as a “beautiful, intelligent young lady”, saying her death was “every mother and father’s worst nightmare”.
John Sheridan, father of the deceased, posted a video of his late daughter on social media, showing Ms Sheridan preparing for her recent wedding day, along with a caption that read: “Rest in Peace Marguerita. Heaven has a special place for you sweet angel.”
Local Fine Gael councillor and family friend, Adam Teskey, described the Sheridan family as “extremely well-respected people in the Rathkeale community”.
Cllr Teskey said the town was “numb with sadness” and he asked the local community to “provide its full support to An Garda Síochána”.
Gardaí continue to appeal for witnesses to come forward.
Any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage (including dashcam) and were in the Rathkeale area in Co. Limerick between 11.30am and 1.00pm are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Rathkeale Garda station on 069 63222, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
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