POLICE were questioning a man in his sixties last night after a retired nurse was stabbed to death at her Co Antrim home.
Detectives launched a murder investigation after the body of 64-year-old Alyson Nelson was found at a property on Victoria Avenue in Whitehead shortly after 6pm on Saturday.
Police, paramedics and an air ambulance crew responded to the incident in the coastal village but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The widowed mother and grandmother had lived in the area for many years and was a popular member of the community, as are her family.
The man arrested on suspicion of murder is thought to have been known to the victim. Police also searched a nearby property.
Detectives have appealed for anyone with information to come forward but confirmed they are not looking for any other suspects.
Alliance councillor Robert Logan, who lives in Whitehead, described the murder as “very disturbing”.
“The whole village is in a state of shock,” he said.
“Everyone’s thoughts are with the lady’s family and her friends.”
SDLP East Antrim assembly candidate Siobhán McAlister said: “This incident has shocked people in Whitehead. It’s a small seaside village and people just can’t believe that this has happened in their community.
“Having seen tributes, it appears Mrs Nelson was well known and well liked in the area and I hope her family can take strength from this.”
UUP East Antrim assembly candidate John Stewart said it was a “shocking and tragic” incident.
“It’s almost impossible to accept. My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Alyson’s family and friends and also with the people of Whitehead who are all struggling to deal with this awful attack,” he said.
The killing has again put the spotlight on the north’s record for violence against women. PSNI figures reveal that 26 women were killed by an intimate partner, family member or relative between 2017 and 2021.
The statistics show an increase in violent killings during the pandemic. The 14 women killed across 2020 and 2021 left the north with one of the highest rates per capita in Europe for domestic killings.
