Danielle McLaughlin’s body flown home to Ireland

Irish woman who was killed in India to undergo further postmortem examination

Family  photo of Danielle McLaughlin, who was killed at  a tourist resort in Goa, India. Photograph: Family handout/PA Wire
Family photo of Danielle McLaughlin, who was killed at a tourist resort in Goa, India. Photograph: Family handout/PA Wire

The body of an Irish woman who was raped and murdered at a tourist resort in India has been flown back to Ireland.

Danielle McLaughlin will undergo further postmortem examination in Dublin after an autopsy in India showed she had suffered cerebral damage and constriction to the neck.

The 28-year-old, from Buncrana, Co Donegal, was found dead in a secluded spot in Canacona, a popular area for holidaymakers in Goa, on Tuesday, March 14th.

The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust organised the transfer of Ms McLaughlin’s body.

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A spokesman said: “She won’t be in Buncrana until next week. She is going for another postmortem.”

Local media reported that the former Liverpool John Moores University student was discovered unclothed and with marks on her head and face.

Indian police said a farmer found Ms McLaughlin’s body.

She had travelled to Goa with an Australian female friend and the pair were staying in a beach hut.

They had been celebrating Holi - a Hindu spring festival - in a nearby village.

She left the village late at night and her body was found the next day, local police said.

PA