A new Irish state pathologist report into the death of a Co Fermanagh woman who was found dead in a canal two years ago has rejected the findings from a private report which concluded it was a homicide.
The body of Kelly Lynch (23), originally from Lisnaskea, but whose family live in Gilford, Co Armagh, was discovered on the morning of St Patrick’s Day 2024 after a night out with friends in Monaghan town.
Following an initial post-mortem, An Garda Síochána have said they are not treating the death of Ms Lynch as suspicious, telling the family she died after an “accidental fall” into the canal where she drowned.
The family of the young woman have not accepted the findings of two previous state pathologist reports into her death, and do not accept the latest conclusions.
In January of this year, a private pathologist report carried out by an expert in the US, but who had trained in Ireland, concluded that her death was a homicide after she had been the victim of a “violent, physical assault”. He added she was “very likely moved to the scene after her death”.
A separate autopsy report carried out by a former Northern Ireland pathologist has said “the evidence to support a diagnosis of drowning is somewhat tenuous in this case”.
After the findings of the private report were provided to the Irish state pathologist, a review of the original findings was commissioned, the conclusions of which have now been passed to the Lynch family.
The new report, seen by the Irish News, concludes that it remains the state pathologist’s opinion that Kelly’s death was due to “drowning”.
The latest report was written by the same pathologist who carred out the initial post-mortem examination.
It states that the injuries seen during the post-mortem examination “would be in keeping with a fall from height”.
“There was no evidence to suggest a physical assault,” the report concludes.
The state pathologist added that in her opinion injuries caused to Kelly after her death were caused by “insects and animals”.
The Horseshoe Bridge in Monaghan, the scene of Kelly Lynch’s death
According to the report, other “potential complications of immersion in water” may have contributed to her death, while a spinal fracture and the presence of alcohol and prescription drugs “would have made it difficult…to extricate herself from the water”.
Kelly’s mum, Julieanne Lynch, has said she does not accept the findings of the latest report into her daughter’s death and vowed to continue to fight for more information on what happened to her.
“In the first post-mortem, she (the pathologist) said that Kelly would have been unable to move, and now it is stated that she had bruises on the back of her hands because she was crawling. Which is it?
“We are still going to fight and contest the original post-mortem because there cannot be so many discrepancies from one report.
“We are going to be seeking a meeting with the Minister of Justice, who had agreed to meet with us, and then declined.
“I’ll just be getting louder and more vocal. It’s almost as if Kelly has died and we have lost all control over her parents and that shouldn’t be the case.”
James Brannigan, a former PSNI detective who was instrumental in uncovering the murder of Katie Simpson by Richard Cresswell after it had wrongly been classed as suicide, has been assisting the Lynch family through his charity, the Katie Trust.
“When I first met Julieanne and Sean, I had questions over the injuries, and now I have even more questions.
“Kelly’s family want to meet with the state pathologist in order to have the injuries suffered by her to be explained in person.
“The state pathologist did not attend the scene of where Kelly was found, and was informed by Gardai that she was found submerged in water, and we argue that has directed the narrative ever since.”
An Garda Síochána instigated a “peer review” of the case in October 2024, which it stressed was not a reopening of the investigation. That review remains ongoing and the Lynch family have been critical of the delays in carrying it out, 18 months after it was ordered.
An Garda Síochána has been contacted for comment.