Who Killed Joanne Lee? Woman's Body Found Stuffed Inside Wardrobe, Uncle Reacts

The body of a missing Dublin woman was found Thursday wrapped in a sleeping bag and stuffed inside a wardrobe in a house on Ranelagh Road. The heartbroken family of Joanne Lee expressed their sorrow over the loss of the 38-year-old.

Lee's family filed a missing report after she was nowhere to be found since Tuesday. A man in his 30s, who is believed to have been known to the woman, was taken to hospital from the scene after he reportedly jumped from a third-floor window after investigators stormed the house. He suffered a broken arm and leg injuries and police said the injuries were non-life threatening. The name of the suspect was not released.

Speaking outside the crime scene Thursday evening, Lee's uncle, John Curry told local media the family was in a state of shock.

“She was never in trouble in her life. My sister rang me to say she was missing and we sent out texts to everybody, put it up on Facebook and put it up on the taxi website. Then we got a phone call this afternoon. The guards broke in, found her body in a wardrobe," Curry said.

“I’m so upset, just can’t speak. Just devastated, the whole family is taken apart. The soul is taken out of us. You just don’t know what came out of this or why this happened. All I can say is why, why, why, why? This is a beautiful girl, so young and so pretty, away from us all. Just devastated," he added. “She’d been missing for a couple of days. We had a feeling something was up. We couldn’t put it together and we were searching everywhere. I’m sorry folks, too upset”

According to Irish News, authorities are trying to investigate if Lee was murdered at a different location, possibly on Valentine's Day. They also suspect the killer was planning to transport her body before detectives found her in the wardrobe. Her body was reportedly tightly wrapped in the sleeping bag and bed sheets. The cause of death would be known only after the autopsy results were out.

Gardaí, the Irish police, are treating the death as suspicious.

"Gardaí at Donnybrook in Dublin are investigating all the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body a female in a house at Ranelagh Rd, Dublin 6," a police representative said. "The body was discovered at approximately 3.45pm this afternoon, Thursday 15th February 2018. The office of the State Pathologist has been notified. Anyone who may have any information is asked to contact Donnybrook Garda station on 01 666 9200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station."