Cavan woman’s husband managed to stagger to neighbour’s home for help after fatal attack

Annie Heyneman, who was in her 50s, died after she was attacked with a knife near Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan, late on Saturday night. Her Dutch-born husband Henk was also stabbed by the attacker but managed to stagger to a neighbour’s home for help.

The attacker also set fire to the family home, gardaí believe. The main suspect made his way into Ballyconnell where he went to a chip shop and told staff to contact the gardaí as ‘something terrible had happened’.

The chief suspect is understood to have addiction problems and was under the influence when he attacked the couple.

"It appears there was a row"

He got into an argument with the woman and then proceeded to stab her several times.

Gardaí are not looking for anyone else in relation to the killing.

A source said: "It is very early in the investigation but it appears there was a row on Saturday night and a man in his 30s took a knife to Annie and then to Henk.

"Henk managed to get himself to the neighbor’s after the house was set on fire and raised the alarm.

"The main suspect headed down to Ballyconnell itself and was in a very disoriented state by all accounts. He went into the local chipper and got them to call the guards as well and said something along the lines of, 'Something terrible has happened'."

The source continued: "Garda technical teams are working at that scene as well as the main scene up at the house." John Paul Feeley, a local Fianna Fáil councilor, said that the community had been left "shattered" by the news.

"Something terrible has happened"

Speaking on Sunday, he added: "My thoughts and prayers are with the family and the wider community as well who I know will come out to help the family here. I was absolutely shocked to hear the news. I mean, it was shocking altogether.

"This is a tight-knit rural community here. So, for something like this to happen is just terrible and it really is shocking. I had been speaking to neighbors who are distraught."

One neighbor said that while "every family has its problems", the Heynemans are "so lovely and so popular in the area".

He added: "Annie was well-known for her charity work and just helping out around the community.

"She was involved in several different community groups. She was also part of the Bake Bread For Peace group. Annie was also involved in helping out at events to help out people with intellectual disabilities. Just a lovely woman."

He added: "We knew about things in the family, people might be having problems or what have you, but that was for the family to sort out, it’s none of our business but we’d always say we were around if they needed anything at all from us.

"We just saw all the guards and the fire brigade and ambulances heading down the lane and it was so shocking. We thought it was just a house fire but then the news started coming in about what had happened and we were just sat together in the sitting room in silence.

"We didn’t know what to say or what to do. There’s nothing you can do in that situation, is there?"

Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith said that the local community was shocked by the incident.

Community in shock

He told RTÉ News: "A lovely family and a lovely lady. I’d have known the family going back previous generations.

"They’re very well thought of, highly regarded. Its a terrible loss to our community. I know the prayers and thoughts of the entire community are with the family at this particularly difficult and sad time."

The investigation is being led from an incident room at Cavan Garda Station.

A Garda spokesman said: "Gardaí in Cavan continue to investigate a serious incident which occurred at a domestic residence in a rural area near Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan, [on Saturday] night. A woman aged in her 50s was pronounced deceased at the scene.

"An Garda Síochána has now commenced a murder investigation. The woman’s body has been conveyed to Cavan General Hospital for a post-mortem. The man, aged in his 60s, was taken to Cavan General Hospital for treatment of serious injuries and remains in a serious but stable condition.

"The scene has been preserved for technical examination by the Garda Technical Bureau."

They added: "One man, aged in his 30s, was arrested at a separate location, and detained pursuant to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, at a Garda station in the Co. Cavan area.

"The investigation is being led from an incident room at Cavan Garda Station. Investigating gardaí are appealing for witnesses and those with information to come forward. Anyone who traveled in the area of Kilnavert, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan, [on] Saturday, January 11, between 8.30pm and 9.30pm, is asked to provide gardaí with any available camera footage, including dashcam recordings."

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.