The family of murdered Co Cork nurse Karen Buckley have expressed thanks to people across Ireland and Scotland for their support over the past two months.
Ms Buckley (24), from Mourneabbey, near Mallow in north Cork, was studying occupational therapy in Glasgow Caledonian University when she vanished on a night out with friends at the Sanctuary Nightclub in the city in the early hours of April 12.
Police from across Scotland were drafted in for a massive search operation which led to the arrest of 21-year-old Alexander Pacteau and the discovery of Ms Buckley???s remains in farmland four days after her disappearance.
Pacteau has been charged with murder and with attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Ms Buckley???s father John (62) has spoken of the family???s continuing heartbreak over the ???terrible??? murder of their youngest child and only daughter, describing it as ???hard to believe or understand???.
In a statement released through the Irish Examiner, Mr Buckley, a farmer, said he and his wife Marion (61) were ???extremely upset??? that the young nurse would ???never have the chance to live out her life???.
He revealed that the family had received messages of support and sympathy from both sides of the Irish Sea, but also as far away as the United States and South Africa.
Mr Buckley also revealed that over ??50,000 raised for the family through the gofundme.com website would be donated to charity because it was ???what Karen would have wished for???.
Expressing the family???s gratitude to the public, the father said: ???People have been very good to us and it means an awful lot.???
