Locals in the town of Tullamore have been reacting to the death of Ashling Murphy.
The 23-year-old primary teacher was killed while out for a run along the canal in the Offaly town on Wednesday.
A man was being questioned by Gardaí in connection with the attack, but has since been released and is no longer a suspect in the case.
One woman told Henry McKean: "It makes me feel sick, it's too upsetting, it's terrible.
"I can't believe that someone would do that to someone.
"A young woman - a perfectly safe beautiful winter's evening - left her job, went for a walk - I just can't believe it.
"I went for a walk myself at 3.15 yesterday on my own, down a place where I didn't meet anybody else.
"That canal line, everybody uses it - it's just incredible that somebody could do something to a young woman like that, or to anybody.
"I have a son that age and he knew her... they're devastated, all the youngsters.
"I'm after being in Dunnes Stores there, everybody knew her.
"It's not a big town so people know people and all those youngsters would be in school together, so she would have graduated a year behind my son".
“Devastated.” Reaction from Tullamore after the murder of #ashlingmurphy. @NewstalkFM @SeanMoncrieff from 2pm pic.twitter.com/gmUO4QDWIv
— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) January 13, 2022
"Devastated - as far as I can see the whole town is devastated.
"It's just shocking, to think she went out in broad daylight to go for a walk and never came home yesterday evening".
And Raymond Larkin, who is a mental health awareness campaigner, said the entire town is numb.
"I just always go along this canal line for a walk every morning for mental health.
"To say the town is numb is an understatement.
"I've just come out of the town, people actually cannot believe it.
"It could have been anyone, it could have been anyone that was walking that lane.
"People are very fearful".
“The town is numb.” Reaction from Tullamore after the murder of #ashlingmurphy. @NewstalkFM @SeanMoncrieff from 2pm pic.twitter.com/Lu4xU8PHkl
— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) January 13, 2022