The asylum-seeking migrant suspected in the fatal beating and suffocation of New York mother Jamey Carney at her home in Ireland had already reached Turkey by the time authorities began searching for him as a “significant person of interest.”
Ahmad Alsaqer, 28, allegedly booked a flight from Dublin and arrived in Istanbul hours before Carney’s 13-year-old daughter found her mother in bed at their Killarney home around 1 p.m. Tuesday, the Irish Independent reported.
Alsaqer — who sought asylum after traveling to Ireland from the Middle East in 2024 — was later named a “person of significant interest” after allegedly leaving for Dublin Airport by bus at about 3 a.m., hours after the 43-year-old woman was believed to have been killed.
Investigators believe Alsaqer may try to move through the Middle East in an effort to return to Jordan, according to Extra.ie.
Alsaqer, who reportedly has ties to Turkey, Syria and Jordan and speaks Arabic, French and English, has been described by Ireland’s national police force, An Garda Síochána, as a person of interest in Carney’s killing, the outlet reported.
He is believed to have been among the last people to see Carney alive, after reportedly spending Sunday and Monday with her.
Carney was discovered concealed beneath a duvet with multiple serious head injuries and died from suffocation after neighbors reported hearing an argument coming from the rented property, officials said.
Police circulated alerts to ports and airports across Ireland to watch for Alsaqer amid concerns he might flee the country, unaware that he had already left.
Alsaqer, who was in the process of seeking asylum in Ireland, had gotten his passport returned to him by authorities before the murder, and used the travel document to escape to Turkey.
The couple had sparked a relationship in the last few months after meeting at a local anti-Israeli protest.
Because Alsaqer had frequented Carney’s house before her murder, investigators may have a hard time charging him with murder because his DNA from previous visits would be found around the house, according to the Irish Times.
“It would be different if he was an intruder or had never been there before – he might be struggling to explain his DNA in that scenario,” the source told the paper.
Carney shared several photos of the two on social media, including on July 4th seemingly wishing she was back in her home state while the couple dressed in New York sports apparel in front of a computer-generated backdrop of Times Square.
The suspected murderer commented multiple times under Carney’s posts with loving messages, including “I love you so much,” and “my beautiful family.”
Carney was politically vocal on her social media accounts, with her bios reading “Free Palestine” and “Fk ICE.”
She also posed in several photos while attending anti-Israeli rallies and wore a checkered keffiyeh alongside Alsaqer.
