American Mum Suffocated in Killarney Home as Boyfriend Flees to Jordan

A 43-year-old American mother and activist was found murdered in her rented home in Killarney, County Kerry, in early July, prompting a major international investigation that continues months later as Irish authorities pursue the extradition of her boyfriend from Jordan.

Jamey Carney, originally from Westchester County, New York, was discovered dead in her bedroom at a house on the Homeland estate off Muckross Road on the afternoon of 7 July 2026. Her 13-year-old daughter raised the alarm after returning home and finding the house unusually quiet; the girl’s mother lay hidden under blankets or a duvet. Emergency services pronounced Carney dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination by State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan established that Carney died from suffocation after suffering head injuries in an assault believed to have occurred late on 6 July or in the early hours of 7 July. Initial reports had suggested she was beaten to death; the pathologist confirmed asphyxiation as the cause while noting the head trauma.

Gardaí quickly upgraded the inquiry to a murder investigation. They identified a man known to Carney — her boyfriend of several months, 28-year-old Jordanian national Ahmad Al-Saqar — as a person of significant interest. Al-Saqar had been living in Ireland since 2024 as an international protection applicant whose asylum claim had been refused and was under appeal. He occasionally stayed at Carney’s home and was understood to have been with her on the evening before her death.

CCTV and travel records showed Al-Saqar left Killarney in the early hours of 7 July, taking a bus to Dublin and then a Turkish Airlines flight from Dublin Airport to Istanbul that departed around 10.40am — hours before the body was discovered and an alert circulated. He later travelled on to Jordan, his country of origin. Jordanian authorities detained him shortly after his arrival; he remains in custody there. Ireland has no formal extradition treaty with Jordan, complicating efforts to return him.

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Detectives have submitted a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions recommending that Al-Saqar be charged with murder. An arrest warrant has been supported, and Irish officials are pursuing extradition through diplomatic and judicial channels. Garda detectives have travelled to Jordan to brief local authorities, though they were not permitted to interview the suspect directly. As of late September, Al-Saqar remained detained while discussions continued.

Carney had moved to Killarney around 2021 with her young daughter, drawn in part by family roots in County Kerry. Friends and neighbours remembered her as kind, generous, hard-working and a devoted mother who described the move as one of the best decisions of her life. She was active in pro-Palestine causes and anti-ICE advocacy; she and Al-Saqar reportedly met at a demonstration in Killarney. On social media she had previously described him in warm terms. She is survived by her daughter Michaela, mother Kathleen, sister Devon and other relatives. A requiem Mass was held at St Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney on 15 July, followed by a private cremation.

The case has drawn attention to issues of gender-based violence, asylum processes and cross-border policing. Gardaí continue to appeal for any remaining CCTV, dashcam or witness information from the Muckross Road area between the evening of 6 July and the afternoon of 7 July. The investigation remains active, with international cooperation ongoing.