A woman from Fintona, County Tyrone, was murdered in Bristol in August 1976 and her killer has never been identified, according to her only surviving brother.

Susan O'Donoghue, known as Susie, was 44 years old and worked as a psychiatric nurse. She was found dead at her home in the Sneyd Park area of Bristol, having been sexually assaulted and beaten. She grew up near Fintona, attended Legamaghery school, and was one of 13 children in the McGeary family.

Seamus McGeary, now 82, said his sister moved to Belfast with three of her sisters to work as cleaners before travelling to England to train as a nurse. She lived in Kent and the Channel Islands, married, and had a son, John, born in 1958. After her marriage ended, she moved to Bristol with her son and returned to nursing.

By 1976, four McGeary siblings were living in Bristol: Seamus, his brother Lawrence and Lawrence's wife Eileen, and another brother, Michael. Seamus said the family was close and often went out for meals together. He learned of the killing when he was called home from work and his wife, Cathy, told him Susan had been murdered the previous night. He described the news as a terrible shock.

Susan's wake was held at a Bristol funeral parlour and her burial took place in a village outside the city. Seamus said police attended the funeral because they believed the killer might be among the congregation, but no one was identified. In the following months, detectives questioned family members about when they had last seen Susan. The killer left behind a weapon, bloodstained gloves, and a tobacco tin.

Avon and Somerset Police later reviewed the case and, using advances in forensic science, established a DNA profile in 2016. Seamus said the development did not lead to any arrest. He said it is very sad that nobody has ever been brought to justice.

Seamus returned to the family home outside Fintona in 1984 with his wife Cathy. He worked in welding and fitting and on farms, while Cathy worked at Omagh Training Centre and later in a Fintona chip shop. Cathy died in 2015. Seamus, now in his early 80s, continues to work for a local firm and remembers his sister as tall, slim, happy, and a good baker.

He is the last surviving member of the 13 McGeary siblings and has no photographs of Susan, but he said his memories of her remain happy. He remembers his deceased family members each week at Mass in St Lawrence's Church in Fintona, including Susan, 50 years after her death.