Irish police find main suspect in American woman’s murder, but extradition may prove difficult

Ireland’s national police are investigating the murder of an American woman named Jamey Carney in County Kerry, Ireland, and have identified a man they want to question.

Carney, 43, was found dead by a family member in an upstairs room of her rented home in the Homeland estate off the Muckross Road in Killarney, per The Irish Times. She had suffered head injuries, though a postmortem found suffocation to be the cause of death. 

Originally from Westchester County, north of New York City, Carney had moved to Killarney in 2021 and lived there with her 13-year-old daughter, Michaela. 

The man the police describe as a person of significant interest is Ahmad Al-Saqar, 28, Carney’s partner. The Jordanian national arrived in Ireland in 2024 and entered the international protection system. CCTV captured Al-Saqar on the Muckross Road after leaving the house in the early hours of Tuesday.

Detectives established that he took a pre-dawn bus to Dublin and flew to Istanbul. This was all before Carney’s body was discovered. He has not been charged with any offense as of writing. 

Al-Saqar reportedly arrested in Jordan as family gathers in Ireland

Locating the suspect is only half the problem. Under Irish law (via Citizens Information), extradition is not possible for the purpose of interviewing or investigating a suspect. It is permitted only where a person is to serve a sentence or face charges. That means the police would first need a direction from the Director of Public Prosecutions to charge Al-Saqar.

Geography matters in this case. Ireland and Turkey are both parties to the European Convention on Extradition. Investigators were trying to establish whether Al-Saqar remained in Istanbul or traveled on to Jordan. Ireland has no extradition treaty with Jordan, which would make matters more complicated. Neither Al-Saqar nor anyone representing him has commented on the situation.

Carney’s mother and sister have since traveled to Killarney to care for Michaela. In a GoFundMe appeal launched by friends to cover funeral expenses and support the family, Carney’s sister Bennett described her deceased sibling as “an insanely caring human being.” (via The Irish Times)

In an update provided by the Jordanians via the GoFundMe page, we’ve learned that authorities in Jordan have allegedly apprehended the suspect and are conducting further investigations. They also highlighted that he “does not represent Jordan, its people, or the Jordanian, Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim communities living in Ireland.”

Whatever the outcome of the investigation, the alleged conduct of one man is not a measure of the millions who share his nationality or faith.