Brazilian woman found dead in Cork flat was strangled, inquest hears
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The Brazilian woman who was found dead in a flat in Cork city on New Year’s Day was strangled, the assistant state pathologist has found.
Bruna Fonseca’s cause of death was outlined at Cork City Coroner’s Court on Thursday, where an inquest into her death was opened and adjourned.
Ms Fonseca, 28, who was originally from Formiga in Minas Gerais province, northwest of Rio de Janeiro, was found dead in a bedsit in the heart of Cork city at about 6.30am on January 1 last.
Gardaí had been called to a flat on Liberty St, where they found her in an unresponsive state. Despite resuscitation efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene. A man was arrested at the scene a short time later.
On Thursday, Cork city coroner Philip Comyn opened the inquest into Ms Fonseca's death to hear evidence of identification and cause of death.
Assistant State pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said she conducted an autopsy on the remains on January 1, 2023, and the body was formally identified to her by Detective Garda Alan Crowley.
She said, in her opinion, the cause of death was asphyxia due to manual strangulation.
Sergeant Fergus Twomey told the coroner a man stands charged with murder and that a trial before a judge and jury has been listed for hearing in June 2024.
The man, who is in his late 20s, is originally from Brazil and was known to Ms Fonseca.
Sgt Twomey applied for and was granted an adjournment of the inquest pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
Mr Comyn said he will revisit the matter, and set a date for a full inquest, once the criminal proceedings have concluded.
Ms Fonseca was a qualified librarian who came to Cork in September 2022 to follow her dream and build a new life.
She had been working as a contract cleaner at the Mercy University Hospital at the time and had attended a New Year's Eve party in a pub in Cork city with friends just hours before she was found dead.
A week later, hundreds of people moved by her death attended a vigil in her honour at the city’s Lough amenity — one of her favourite places to visit.
Those attending wore white and held white roses as members of the city’s Brazilian community led people in reflections, prayers and music alongside a table, draped in the Brazilian flag and displaying framed photographs of a smiling Bruna.