Mum, 57, BEHEADED with axe in frenzied attack at her home as her son, 32, is arrested on suspicion of murder
Elizabeth Piotrowska’s body was found by a neighbour following the brutal slaying in Co Louth, Ireland
A MUM-of-two was beheaded with an axe in a frenzied attack at her home.
Elizabeth Piotrowska’s body was found by a neighbour following the brutal slaying in Co Louth, Ireland, yesterday.
Her son Tomasz Piotrowski, 32, was arrested on suspicion of her murder.
Polish national Mrs Piotrowska, 57, had lived in Ireland for many years with her husband Krzysztof, who was at work as the horror unfolded.
Armed cops swooped on a house in Bridge Street, Ardee at 1.30pm and detained Tomasz.
Dramatic footage shows cops escorting him from a house about half-a-mile from the murder scene.
He is being held in Drogheda police station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
Police were yesterday trying to contact their daughter, who lives in Poland, to tell her the tragic news.
The victim’s head was in the house, detached from the body, with an axe found nearby.
A neighbour in Clonmore said the woman who discovered Elizabeth had been slain was very upset.
She told News: “I heard a woman scream. Her son came around to me in my garden. He said his mother saw a lady killed.
“I was shocked. I said, ‘Do you need help, did you ring Gardai?’ . . . I asked my son to ring them.”
Police dogs searched the nearby River Dee, although it was later confirmed that all relevant body parts had been found in the Clonmore property.
Cops also later sealed off a house in the Cherrybrook estate, as well as an area of land at Mandistown, about eight kilometres from Ardee.
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He said: “We advertised the house seven years ago and they came on board. They seemed like very, very genuine and down-to-earth people.
“We were very shocked, I think it was more the gruesome way her life ended, that is the biggest shock.
“I think if it was a massive heart attack it was a huge shock but the way it happened is unbelievable, you can’t get over it.
"It was absolutely shocking — it doesn’t bear thinking about. It is an awful tragedy.”
Others described the Polish family as “lovely people”.
One woman said: “I’m totally shocked. They were so nice and had lived here for years.
“I think they had problems with the son, he was involved in all sorts but they were lovely people.”
Investigators were trawling CCTV from local businesses last night in a bid to track the suspect’s movements.
He was described as “very calm” when he was in custody last night.
A source said: “He was very calm when he was arrested and he has remained so in custody.
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“Now we have to establish where he was after the attack.”
Police also seized a number of other implements in the house and they were examined, along with the murder weapon.
It’s expected that a post-mortem will be carried out on Elizabeth’s body today.