Jamey Carney never tired of saying how happy she was with her new life in Ireland, describing relocating there as ‘the best decision’ she had ever made.

The American single mother, 43, had always been proud of her Irish roots, and finally left the US five years ago to set up home with her young daughter in Killarney, which sits in the heart of a dramatic landscape of lakes, mountains, waterfalls and ancient woods.

She soon became a familiar figure in the famously pretty County Kerry town, settling into a new career, making friends and getting a reputation for helping people in need, while being vocal about her Left-wing views, which included advocating for Palestine.

And things would soon get even better for Ms Carney, the Daily Mail has learned, when she inherited $1million, which allowed her to upgrade to a luxury home.

That windfall was soon followed by her meeting a younger man connected to her favourite political cause, with whom she quickly fell in love.

But Ms Carney’s idyllic life came to a brutal end when she was found murdered by her daughter, Michaela. The 13-year-old returned from a sleepover on July 7, to find their home unusually – and suspiciously – quiet, so she began to look around closely and discovered her mother’s body hidden under a duvet in her bedroom.

American single mother, Jamey Carney left the US five years ago to set up home with her young daughter in Killarney, where she fell in love with Jordanian asylum seeker Ahmad Al-Saqar  

She soon became a familiar figure in the pretty County Kerry town – and things got even better, the Mail has learned, when she inherited $1million, allowing her to move into a luxury home

It is believed Ms Carney was murdered by her boyfriend Ahmad Al-Saqar, who fled Ireland and is now in custody in Jordan – but his legal status remains uncertain as Ireland has no extradition treaty with the Middle Eastern kingdom

A post-mortem quickly established that Ms Carney had died from suffocation, with a subsequent though still unconfirmed report suggesting that she had also been battered repeatedly with a heavy toilet cistern lid.

A murder inquiry was formally launched and Garda detectives did not take long to identify a ‘person of interest’ for her killing: her boyfriend Ahmad Al-Saqar.

Fifteen years her junior, Al-Saqar, an asylum seeker from Jordan, is thought to have met Ms Carney at local pro-Palestinian protests.

The 28-year-old is thought to have only been able to enter Ireland because of an ill-judged immigration loophole blunder by the UK government – more on that later.

Detectives soon found evidence that he had fled Killarney in the early hours of July 7, hours before her body was discovered.

CCTV footage is understood to have confirmed that he caught a Green Coach from Mission Road in Killarney at 4.30am to Bachelors Walk in Dublin, and from there got a taxi to Dublin Airport.

From there he caught a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul at 10.40am, with a one-way ticket.

Al-Saqar is then believed to have either flown – or journeyed over land across Syria – to his home country of Jordan.

He is presumed to have been able to reach Jordan shortly before Interpol was informed by the Irish authorities of his wanted status – before stations, ports and airports could be alerted to watch out for a man travelling under his name.

Al-Saqar was later traced by Jordan’s Public Security Directorate and arrested.

He has been in custody there ever since – but his legal status remains uncertain as Ireland has no extradition treaty with the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Al-Saqar has not been formally named as a prime suspect by Gardai, although they have described him as being ‘a person of interest’ in the murder inquiry.

Gardai have since confirmed that two of its officers have visited the country to liaise directly with the Jordanian authorities in what appears to be an attempt to seek ‘a gentleman’s agreement’ to get him sent back to Ireland to face a potential murder charge.

As Killarney waits to see how this plays out, various local sources have given conflicting accounts of what may have happened.

One suggested that Al-Saqar may have killed Ms Carney in a jealous rage after she tried to end their relationship because he had become ‘too needy and possessive’.

Another said that Ms Carney had shown a close friend a message sent to her by Al-Saqar in the week before her murder, in which he had requested €5,000 (£4,280) from her – and speculated that there may have been a financial factor in his alleged attack.

And the Daily Mail has learned an intriguing fact which may have a bearing on the investigation: Ms Carney had recently inherited a sum in the region of $1million following the death of her father in the US 11 months ago.

This had enabled her and her daughter to upgrade from a relatively modest two-bedroom house to the bigger and grander house in a more prestigious area of Killarney.

 Social media posts shared by Al-Saqar in April, appear to show Ms Carney wearing a glittering ring, with a post: ‘My bride and my princess’

Al-Saqar had regularly declared his love for Ms Carney on social media 

Al-Saqar, pictured with Ms Carney in April, is understood to have fled Killarney in the early morning of July 7, hours before her body was discovered

It is thought Al-Saqar had been able to claim asylum in Ireland by taking advantage of a short-lived immigration scheme which allowed Jordanians to travel to the UK after simply buying an online travel authorisation visa for £10.

This allowed him to travel to Northern Ireland and, from there, it was an easy matter to slip across the border to Dublin where, in June 2024, he claimed asylum.

He was then transferred to a hostel in Killarney, but his initial asylum claim was turned down. He appealed the decision and was instead granted subsidiary protection – a legal status given to those who do not qualify as refugees but who may still face potential serious harm if sent back to their home country.

That decision meant Al-Saqar had his passport returned, which would later enable him to flee the country before the international alert was issued to detain him.

The fact that he returned so quickly and readily to Jordan – the country from which he had supposedly felt forced to flee to escape ‘persecution’ – has led to suggestions that he was always really just an economic migrant seeking a better life using a convenient lie.

Al-Saqar is believed to have worked on construction sites, as asylum seekers in Ireland are allowed to work after six months, unlike those in the UK who cannot work while their claims are processed.

Ms Carney, meanwhile, had grown up in the rolling hills and woodland of Armonk, around 35 miles north of New York in Westchester County, and studied at Byram Hills High School.

She had connections to County Kerry thanks to paternal grandparents and fell in love with the Killarney during frequent holidays there.

She had worked in insurance and as an estate agent before finally deciding to quit the US in 2021, making a permanent move to the area she loved.

There are suggestions she may have been previously married to an Irish man, although the details are sketchy and it is unclear whether the marriage happened in the US or after her emigration.

One person who knew her in Killarney told the Daily Mail: ‘It might seem strange for a woman with an eight-year-old child to start a new life in a different country – but Jamey felt it was the right thing to do.

‘Killarney is a very cosmopolitan place and there are a lot of Americans who live in the area, as well as visitors from all over the world. She considered herself Irish-American and felt at home here.

‘I think part of her move was dissatisfaction with life in America. She was very political and opposed Donald Trump. She just wanted to create a home for her and her daughter in a peaceful and happy place.’

The generous inheritance appears to have enabled her to move last September into a much bigger rented house in a cul-de-sac called Homeland, off the traffic-choked Muckross Road close to Killarney town centre.

Ms Carney proudly posted a social media picture of herself holding keys to her new gated property, which was previously described on a rental website as being a ‘luxury’ home, providing ‘exceptional’ family accommodation.

Ms Carney had recently inherited a sum in the region of $1million following the death of her father and had shared a post on social media of her holding keys to her new gated property

It was here that her body was found, hidden in her bedroom under a duvet by her 13-year-old daughter 

Al-Saqar had regularly declared his love for Ms Carney on social media.

He posted a series of TikTok videos of them together, often on trips to the countryside with her dog, Penny, a Cavachon – a cross between a Cavalier King Charles and a bichon frise.

It remains unclear when she started her relationship with Al-Saqar, although they appeared to be together as early as January this year when he posted a TikTok video of the spectacular mountain views from an upstairs window of her new home.

One of his TikTok videos posted in April showed them together at a lakeside, and her appearing to show off a glittering ring on her finger, with a caption which remains online, saying: ‘My bride and my princess’.

In the days before she was killed, Al-Saqar commented ‘my beautiful family’ on a photo posted by Ms Carney, showing them and her daughter. In another message to her, he wrote: ‘I love you so much’.

Al-Saqar bragged to other migrants about his developing romance with Ms Carney, and had even claimed they had undergone an Islamic ‘marriage ceremony’ at the town’s main mosque, run by the Islamic Cultural Centre of Killarney, in the spring.

Palestinian refugee Husam Salha, who spent three months as Al-Saqar’s roommate, said: ‘Al-Saqar said they had gone to the mosque and accepted to be husband and wife. In Islam, when you get married, you have to let all the people know that you are husband and wife.’

The Islamic Cultural Centre of Killarney has refused to comment on the claim that a form of ceremony was carried out, and members of Ms Carney’s family have not accepted that anything counted as a marriage, if it even did happen.

The mosque released a statement after her ‘tragic and heartbreaking death’, extending ‘deepest and most sincere condolences’ to her family, friends and loved ones.

Whatever the truth about how formalised their relationship had become, she was still publicly in a relationship with him until the eve of her death. Ms Carney’s Facebook profile picture, uploaded two days before her body was found, showed an image of her with Al-Saqar, her daughter and dog.

In another earlier social media post, she reportedly shared a video of them together and wrote: ‘He continues to show me what safe love is’.

Other social media pictures showed the pair together on pro-Palestinian demonstrations – the shared interest which caused them to meet.

Ms Carney made no secret of her political affiliations, describing herself on Facebook as being a ‘New Yorker in Ireland’ alongside a ‘Free Palestine’ message and another saying, ‘Fk Ice’, in reference to the controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in the US.

Ms Carney had worked for four years at the healthcare consultancy RelateCare in the nearby town of Tralee, and quickly made a wide circle of friends, enjoying nights out and get-togethers, as well as regular trips to the beautiful 26,000-acre Killarney Country Park.

Al-Saqar, meanwhile, had been living in Linden House, almost opposite the Garda station in New Road, one of up to six hostels in the town run by Ireland’s International Protection Accommodation Service.

Staff at Linden House, which accommodates around 60 single male migrants, refused to comment, but residents say that Al-Saqar had been living there until recently.

One said: ‘He said he found a woman and fell in love. It is what everyone wants in life – to have a family and be happy. But what happened to the woman is terrible.’

Ms Carney’s cousin, Ryan Fox, has told how she had always been very proud of familial links to Ireland, finally deciding to relocate there because she ‘was looking for a beautiful country with like-minded people to raise her daughter’.

Speaking from New York, he said she had ‘a heart of gold’ and ‘worked as hard as she could to offer everything to her beautiful daughter’.

But Mr Fox added: ‘Jamey was a very sensitive, Left-wing, equal rights, liberal person. I think she was vulnerable.

‘She was a single mother in a country that she was not raised in and probably looking for a little support, looking for someone to be a male role model for her daughter.

‘She had never had a positive male role model and she was looking for love in all the wrong places. So, anyone who came along, who seemed like the one, she was going to adopt their personality and their culture.’

And he said that Ms Carney’s family had been concerned about the relationship with Al-Saqar and were concerned that he was after her money.

Al-Saqar had been living in Linden House in Killarney, one of up to six hostels in the town run by Ireland’s International Protection Accommodation Service

He said: ‘Jamey’s mother was calling me [at the time] because she was very, very, concerned. She had a feeling they were trying to take advantage and this person [Al-Saqar] had the nerve to tell my aunt that it was none of her business.’

Mr Fox, as well as friends of Ms Carney, have been further upset since the murder by a deluge of ‘racist and misogynistic’ messages posted on social media, effectively saying that she ‘deserved’ to be murdered for being in a relationship with an Arabic asylum seeker.

Numerous comments left on her personal profiles asserted that she ‘did this to herself’ through her dating choices. Other posts cruelly mocked her vocal support for Palestinian rights and her choice of partner, with remarks like: ‘How’s that free Palestine working out?’

A number of far-Right accounts also used her death to push anti-immigrant narratives, criticising Western women, open borders and anti-racism efforts.

Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and local politicians slammed the harmful online comment as completely unacceptable, demanding that tech companies adopt a zero-tolerance approach and remove it.

Mr Fox also urged people not to use his cousin’s murder ‘to become bigoted or racist or prejudiced in any way’.

Zheila Ommani, a friend of Ms Carney in the US, posted on social media: ‘Oh Jamey…my heart is broken. And the way your death is being used to push a narrative which is exactly counter to how you lived your life, is breaking my heart further.’

Ms Ommani insisted it was wrong to make comments about Al-Saqar’s nationality or religion, saying her death was due to ‘the patriarchy of MEN, no matter what culture or ethnicity’.

She added: ‘Jamey was a kind person, with a generous soul, and a deep love and compassion for all humankind, but most of all for her daughter and her parents.

‘Jamey was the kind of friend who would listen and empathise with you, and even if she didn’t agree, she’d find a commonality or shared sentiment to build upon to connect with you. Jamey loved people and she loved life.

‘She was filled with righteous rage at injustice in the world, and a passion for humanity and people. And the world is a darker place now because she’s gone.’

Ms Carney’s sister, Devon Bennett, and mother, Kathy Fox-Bennett, flew to Killarney in the aftermath of her murder to comfort Michaela and deal with authorities.

Ms Fox-Bennett is said to have stayed on to help her granddaughter, who reportedly wants to remain in Ireland.

More than 200 people attended Ms Carney’s funeral Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney, with many carrying sunflowers, her favourite flower.

Parish priest Fr Kieran O’Brien likened Ms Carney to a ray of ‘sunshine’, saying: ‘She was bright, she was cheerful, she was full of life.’

Describing her as ‘selfless’ and devoted to her daughter, he added: ‘Small things were big things for Jamey, and joy radiated from her.’

Reflecting on her death, the priest stated: ‘Surely we would think that our home place, which is our sanctuary, that we ought to feel safe in our own homes.’

Addressing her friends, he said: ‘She was happy in life. She was happy with life. Because life was good to her. She had a great circle of friends who did everything together. Like sisters.

‘You recalled to me your love of shopping, coffee and lunch appointments, going to concerts, her love of country music, holidaying and seeing the world.

‘There was no doubt you were well matched. She was adventurous and determined.’

Al-Saqar, who is believed to come from the historic town of Al-Husn in northern Jordan, continues to be held at a correctional and rehabilitation centre in Jordan, according to the country’s Ministries of Interior and Justice.

Authorities in Jordan have the power to hold people for 15 days, but it is believed that extensions can be granted to hold him for up to 18 months.

Although there is no extradition treaty between Ireland and Jordan, extraditions can be arranged on a case-by-case basis, according to an Interpol source.

But it also emerged this week that Jordan could also prosecute Al-Saqar over Ms Carney’s death, even though it took place in Ireland.

Under Irish law, extradition can only be sought if a person has been charged with a criminal offence and no charges have yet been brought against Al-Saqar in Ireland.

Al-Saqar is said to come from a respectable and educated family. His brother is a medical professional and works in a hospital in the capital.

‘Ahmad [Al-Saqar] had a job and appeared to be happy with lots of friends, but he obviously wanted a better life for himself abroad. I know his family are very worried about the situation he’s in now.’

Relatives of Al-Saqar have insisted in a post shared on social media that he should be treated as ‘innocent until proven guilty’.

The statement added: ‘Unfortunately, we have recently witnessed a campaign of negative comments and publications that carry direct insults and mockery.’

It went on to claim that some comments about him were ‘miserable and hateful attempts to spread the toxins of racism and strife’, and harmed ‘the dignity young people’ in the Falcons clan, which is a generic name for Bedouin tribes in Jordan.

The statement added that his family had hired a legal team to monitor social media for comments that contain ‘abuse, mockery, defamation, or inciting racial strife’, and will present evidence ‘to the Cybercrime Unit in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’.

Residents in Killarney, which is usually best known for its gift shops and horse-drawn carriages offering rides to tourists, is still reeling from Ms Carney’s death.

Retired advertising executive Dennis, 62, who has lived in the town most of his life, said: ‘This is a very peaceful place and everyone is friendly. The whole of Killarney was in shock after the murder. Nobody could believe it.’

Al-Saqar, pictured with Ms Carney, is being held at a correctional and rehabilitation centre in Jordan

A spokesperson for campaign group Killarney for Palestine extended ‘deepest sympathy’ to Ms Carney’s family and friends in a statement which read: ‘Jamey supported our events in the past and no words are sufficient to describe the impact of her horrific loss.’

It went on to say that she is the eighth victim of ‘femicide’ in Ireland so far this year, exceeding the total for all of 2025, which was seven. It added: ‘Misogyny and violence against women are a scourge on our society and we strongly condemn them in all their forms.’

A Garda spokesperson said: ‘The Garda investigation into the murder of Jamey Carney is ongoing.’