The family of a woman murdered in Londonderry over the weekend have said they are “crushed with disbelief and sadness”.
Amy Doherty’s parents paid tribute to the mother-of-two’s “bubbly character and fun-loving spirit” and her love for her two children, Rhea and Ronan.
Police have renewed appeals for information as a 30-year-old man remained in police custody on Monday afternoon, after being arrested on the suspicion of Ms Doherty’s murder.
In a statement, Mrs Doherty’s parents said she was the “best mother Rhea and Ronan could ask for” and that she loved her brothers Shane and Ryan.
They paid tribute to her career in caring for the “sick and elderly” and how she “lifted the hearts of all who met her”, before asking people to “please pray for us all at this time”.
The mother-of-two was found on Saturday morning in the Summer Meadows Mews area of Derry.
The man in custody is understood to have fallen from Foyle Bridge on Saturday, where forensics experts examined a car.
Detective Inspector Ferguson said: “Amy was found, badly injured, at around 10.20am on Saturday. She was taken to hospital by colleagues from the Ambulance Service but, sadly, passed away a short time later.
“At 28 years old, Amy was just a young woman. And my thoughts are, first and foremost, with her family and friends at this unimaginably distressing time.
“A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder, and remains in custody at this time.
“Our enquiries are continuing, and the local community will continue to see a police presence in the Summer Meadows area over the coming days.”
A notice on Funeral Times asked people to leave the family home private until the wake and funeral details will be announced at a later time. The public has been asked to make donations to Foyle Women’s Aid in lieu of sending flowers.
Tributes have been paid to Ms Doherty by both the First and Deputy First Ministers, along with other local representatives.
A vigil is being organised in Derry for Friday, March 27 in memory of Ms Doherty.
Organised by Alliance for Choice Derry, the event will be held at 7pm on the steps of Guildhall in Derry City as a “show of strength and solidarity to Amy and the 29 other women who have been killed in the north since 2020”.
Bethany Moore, an activist with Alliance for Choice said Derry was “absolutely devastated at the loss of Amy”, and said the vigil was a chance to show support to “Amy’s immediate family circle, her friends, her loved ones”.
“We want them to know that the city is behind them, that we support them and that we’re sending our love to them,” she said.
“It’s important for us to show, to meet, to gather, to be together, to connect with one another as humans.
“It’s increasingly difficult every single time we have to do this. I can’t believe we have to do it again.”
Ms Doherty’s violent death was mentioned at Stormont on Monday, when DUP leader Gavin Robinson was asked if he felt Stormont’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy was adequately funded.
He said: “We have a societal problem where some men continue to behave in such an irresponsible, disgraceful, unpalatable way, privately, behind closed doors to women.
“We cannot lose our focus on these issues, but nor can we suggest that an extra £50,000 here or £100,000 there — though Women’s Aid needs support — that any amount of money is going to change the black hearts of those who would so callously treat their loved ones in many circumstances, but anyone, the way they do behind closed doors.”
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, CEO of Foyle Women’s Aid and the Foyle Family Justice Centre Marie Brown said the staff at the centre would be working to deal with the “ripple effects” of Ms Doherty’s murder in the coming days.
Asked whether she feels her organisations are getting enough support to prevent murders like these happening, she said: “No, I don’t.”
“Strategies are all well and good, but if they’re not properly resourced, they’re not effective. Women’s Aid, across the groups on the ground working with victims, we’re doing it on a shoestring. We haven’t got enough resources, they haven’t been uplifted.
“We had a cut way back during the credit crunch, and they’ve never been uplifted or acknowledged the resources it takes to run the services.
“This is a core need, and should be a government priority. There’s a vigil here on Friday evening and people will want to come to that.
“I’m saying to political people, please come with what you’re going to do, because vigils don’t prevent the next murder, but resources, and a joined-up plan of action, funding emergency money for the police service, so we can move on up in a very joined-up, cohesive way.”
The PSNI has appealed to anyone with information to call 101, quoting reference 469 of 21/03/2026.
