THE Fermanagh and border communities have rallied in support around the grieving mother of the late Kelly Marie Lynch who has said she’ll never give up in her fight for justice “for my little girl”.
Almost £4,000 has been raised via an online GoFundMe page titled ‘Investigation & Legal Fees for Kelly Marie Lynch’, which was set up by her mother Julieanne Lynch.
The Fermanagh community was left devastated on St Patrick’s Day when the body of the 23-year-old Ms Lynch, originally from Lisnaskea, was recovered from the Ulster Canal in Monaghan.
The following day, on March 18, a spokesperson for the Gardaí announced that a post-mortem had been completed and its initial findings had been relayed to the investigating officers.
Since her daughter’s death, Julieanne Lynch has been campaigning about the lack of progress in the Garda investigation and she has publicly vowed to fight for justice for her daughter.
In a detailed post on the GoFundMe page, which has been shared widely on social media, Ms Lynch said “Kelly’s death has remained under the radar since her untimely death”.
She also wrote that the family of the late Ms Lynch have filed a complaint with the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. She added that an investigation is currently ongoing.
At the time of going to press, a total of £3,931 had been raised on the ‘Investigation & Legal Fees for Kelly Marie Lynch’ GoFundMe page.
“I know I can never have my daughter back, but there has to be justice to what I believe was a suspicious death,” Ms Lynch said.
“Unfortunately, I find myself in the position where I need to have all her clothing independently tested.
“I also need to finance the hiring of legal representation in the Ireland, and hiring an independent investigator who has jurisdiction within Ireland.
“The support that I have been given by so many strangers has been overwhelming, and I am grateful for anything, how little or big.
“I have been updating everyone via my TikTok account. I have been very transparent about Kelly’s death, and have spoken out because it’s all I can do for my little girl.”
In April, the Herald contacted the Gardaí asking for an update on this investigation, but a spokesman re-issued the same statement as released on March 18, with no further update into Ms Lynch’s death.
Speaking at her funeral in Lisnaskea in March, Canon Jimmy McPhillips recognised that there were “so many questions still unanswered and so much uncertainty still about her tragic death.”
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