The main suspect in the murder of Irish mum Annie Heyneman walked into a takeaway restaurant late on Saturday night and asked for gardaí and an ambulance to be called.
The owner Arshad Qayyum described the moment the bleeding man came into the Big Bites fast-food restaurant in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan.
“He was bleeding, and he said ‘will you please call to the gardaí and ambulance, I’m injured’,” Mr Qayyum said yesterday.
A major garda operation soon swung into operation when it was discovered that Ms Heyneman (55), a mother of five from Co Cavan, had been fatally stabbed at her nearby home. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
One line in the investigation is that she was attacked from behind, after a verbal altercation took place between her and the arrested man, who is in his 30s.
Her husband Henk Heyneman, who is in his 60s, was in another room at the property which is located in a very rural area outside Ballyconnell, Co Cavan.
Gardaí believe the chief suspect, who is also well known to the couple, stabbed Mr Heyneman a number of times in this room causing him serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his head, neck and body.
Arshad Qayyum, owner of the Big Bites fast food takeaway in Ballyconnell where the suspect presented himself covered in blood before he was arrested. Photo: Gerry Mooney
He was taken to Cavan General Hospital for treatment and remains in a serious but stable condition.
The gardaí have launched a murder investigation and are appealing for information.
Gardaí could be seen searching the roadway and roadside between the scene of the incident and Ballyconnell yesterday, and the investigations were continuing last night.
He’s my regular customer … but I don’t know his name. He gets food sometimes and that way I know him
In the Big Bites fast-food restaurant, there were still bloodstains on the floor where the suspect presented himself on Saturday night and asked for assistance.
The owner, Mr Qayyum, described what happened as the man arrived at the takeaway with an injured hand.
“He’s my regular customer… but I don’t know his name. He gets food sometimes and that way I know him. He was bleeding, and he said, ‘will you please call to the gardaí and ambulance, I’m injured’. So I said ‘OK’. He did not have a phone.
“When they connected, I told them this guy had come in and was injured and wanted an ambulance and gardaí,” said Mr Qayyum.
“I kept the phone in front of him on open speaker, and the injured man was talking with the lady, and said he was injured.”
According to Mr Qayyum, the man later gave the address and postcode of the house, and asked for an ambulance to be sent there, “and he gave the address of my takeaway and asked for help too”.
“Some customers came in and asked him what was happening, but he didn’t want to talk to them. The lady on the phone said to get a towel for his hand to stop the bleeding, and he asked for a can of Coke, and then the gardaí came and handcuffed him and asked if I was OK.
Gardaí at the scene of a fatal stabbing near Ballyconnell Co Cavan where a woman in her 50s died. Photo: Gerry Mooney
“I did not know how bad the situation was. I only heard afterwards what had happened,” he added, saying the man was “upset and nervous”.
Sources say the suspect has suffered from serious health issues in the past, but was not previously known to gardaí for any involvement in crime.
“It is fair to say that this individual went on the rampage in the property on Saturday night – apart from the stab attacks, there was also a lot of property disturbed in the house,” a source said.
“There was also an attempt to light a fire there, but this never took hold, and no significant damage was caused to the property by that,” the source added.
The suspect in the case needed two rounds of medical treatment for a serious hand injury he suffered.
This meant that gardaí were not able to begin to formally interview him until early yesterday afternoon.
It is understood the suspect discarded the weapon he used in the alleged knife attacks after leaving the house at the townland of Kilnavert.
They are lovely people, very friendly, and well known in the area
A garda statement said: “The scene has been preserved for technical examination by the Garda Technical Bureau.
“One man (aged in his 30s) was arrested at a separate location, and detained pursuant to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, at a garda station in the Co Cavan area.
“The investigation is being led from an incident room at Cavan garda station. A senior investigating officer (SIO) and family liaison officer (FLO) will be appointed in due course.
“Investigating gardaí are appealing for witnesses and those with information to come forward.
“Anyone who travelled in the area of Kilnavert, Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, last night, Saturday, January 11, 2025, between 8.30pm and 9.30pm, is asked to provide gardaí with any available camera footage, including dash-cam recordings.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cavan garda station on (049) 436 8800, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.”
Ballyconnell woman Ms Heyneman, whose maiden name was McLoughlin, had been married to Dutch national Henk Heyneman for decades.
Sources say the tragic murder of the deeply respected woman has caused huge upset in the local community.
Her remains were taken to Cavan General Hospital.
One woman, who lives nearby, said: “It was very scary. There was gardaí and ambulances and fire brigades up the lane, and we did not know what was happening for a long time.”
Another neighbour said: “They are lovely people, very friendly, and well known in the area.”
Local councillor John Paul Feeley said the tragedy had shocked the local community as he paid tribute to those close to the woman’s family.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the family at this very difficult time. It is a shock not just for those who knew them well, but for the wider community,” he said.