The late Paiche Onyemaechi, whose body was found at Piltown in July 2004.
A fresh appeal has been made for information in connection with the murder of a young mother whose beaten and decapitated body was discovered under a bridge at Piltown in 2004.
The sister of victim Paiche Onyemaechi (nee Unyolo), who resided at St Herblain Park with her two little boys, has said somebody knows what happened to the 25-year old.
The headless corpse of Ms Onyemaechi was discovered wrapped in a plastic at Brenor Bridge, Piltown, on July 23rd, 2004 by a woman who was walking in the area.
The Malawi native, daughter of the then Malawian chief justice, had initially left her home country to work in London and then came to Ireland with her Nigerian-born husband in 1999.
She moved to Waterford in May, 2001 and had been working in Limerick prior to her death. She had two young sons with her Nigerian-born husband Chika – Anthony, 3 and Andrew, 18 months – and had been reported missing three weeks before the gruesome discovery, on July 10th, 2004.
An anonymous letter was sent to Gardaí¬ in 2004 which Detective Superintendent Michael Hennebry of Kilkenny Garda station said “contained information on the culprits” behind Ms Onyemaechi’s killing. However nobody has ever been charged with her murder.
The case was re-examined on RTE’s Crimecall last week, with the victim’s sister, Lucy Unyolo, travelling to Ireland to appeal for information. Ms Unyolo was interviewed on Brenor Bridge for the programme.
“It’s like 2004, the same feeling,” she told Crimecall. “How can somebody take a human being and throw her down the river and let her be there? It’s lonely, it’s cold, it’s cold, it’s lonely.”
“She used to be the funny one in the family and we used to talk a lot on the phone. She could call me and we could stay hours and hours. She could make me laugh.”
“We came to this spot just to see where they found the body, but they told us not to see the body because it was badly decomposed and the head was decapitated so she had no head,” revealed Lucy.
“I just need some answers, somebody there who knows what happened to her [and] we just need some answers please. We just need some answers from someone to tell us what happened to her.”
Detective Supt Michael Hennebry urged members of the African community who were living in Waterford at the time to come forward if they have any information.
“With the passage of time people may be more inclined to share information they have in their possession. Even the smallest piece of information, which may seem insignificant, might help with the investigation.”
Members of the public can contact Thomastown Garda station on 056-7754150,
any Garda station, or Crimestoppers on 1800-250-025
