Victim’s family travel to Izmir

20 August 2011 Last updated at 05:14 ET

Kathy Dinsmore and Marion Graham were from County Down

The family of County Down woman Marion Graham will travel to Turkey on Saturday to make arrangements to repatriate her body.

Ms Graham and her friend Kathy Dinsmore, both in their 50s and from Newry, were stabbed to death in a wood near the city of Izmir on Friday.

The 17-year-old boyfriend of Ms Graham’s daughter Shannon has appeared in court over the murders.

Ms Graham’s son and her former partner Raymond McGuinness are flying to Izmir.

Mr McGuinness will be reunited with his 15-year-old daughter Shannon once he arrives in Turkey. He also plans to make arrangments to bring the body of her mother home.

The suspect, known as Recep C, is reported to have confessed to killing Ms Graham and Ms Dinsmore after being refused permission to marry his ng girlfriend.

He appeared at a preliminary hearing in Turkey on Friday evening and is expected to be charged later on Saturday.

A taxi driver and Recep’s father are also being questioned by police.

‘Gold digger’

The suspect is alleged to have taken Ms Dinsmore and Ms Graham to a secluded wooded area and murdered them there.

The friends were on holiday in the popular tourist resort of Kusadasi, about 100km from Izmir.

The 17-year-old arrested in connection with the murders is being referred to as Recep C

Shannon was out on a boat trip when the killings happened. She alerted police when she arrived home and could not get in touch with her mother.

Mr McGuinness added that “there was always something that was not quite right” with Shannon’s year-long relationship with Recep – a waiter in Kusadasi.

He described him as “controlling” and a “gold digger”.

Mr McGuinness, who owns the Kusadasi apartment where the two victims and his daughter were spending the summer, said Recep was keen to get hold of the property.

Ms Graham’s sister Monica Higgins said the family were “absolutely devastated”.

Relatives of Ms Dinsmore have also spoken of their pain at the tragedy and paid tribute to the former Newry and Mourne District Council worker.

In a statement her brothers John and George Dinsmore said they were “devastated by the tragic loss of their beloved sister Kathy”.

The Dinsmore family are expected to travel to Turkey next week.

Newry Mayor Charlie Casey described the women as “very bubbly, popular girls”.

— ’re ’s , . : A ‘Malign Intellectual Subculture’ – George Monbiot Smears Chomsky, Herman, Peterson, Pilger And Media Lens.