Xemxija murder: Victim died of asphyxia - police want to question her mother

UPDATED (Adds details, new video) - The police said this afternoon that the mother of a woman found dead in Xemxija this morning is 'a person of interest' in their investigation.

Assistant Commissioner Pierre Calleja insisted at a press conference that she was not a suspect but 'a person of interest.'

The victim was Yulia Kalinina, 28, who had been living in Malta with her mother for many years. She also lived in the UK and returned recently. In 2005 she graduated Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in European Studies from the University of Malta.

An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to someone covering her mouth and nose. The police are trying to establish who was with her in her last hours.

Her dead body was found by neighbours on the floor of her apartment near a sofa. She had been dead for between 36 and 48 hours.

By the time the police arrived, her mother was also there. Police officers said there was glass on the scene of the crime and there might therefore have been a struggle.

Some of the injuries on the victim's body appeared to have been there for more than 48 hours.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona is holding an inquiry.